The Sith Orb: Part 2: Exterminators of Peace
by Lola Jeery
Summary: After the Jedi's only lead to the Sith leads to disaster, Ben Skywalker is stranded in a Sith slave camp, where his resistance to the dark side is tested. As the Jedi desperately grasp for another lead, Chancellor Don Dain sends bounty hunter AO-327 to spy on the Jedi, suspecting that they are planning to betray him. It all leads to two intense fights that will alter the galaxy.
1. Forward and Summary of Part 1

Thank you for reading _Star Wars: The Sith Orb: Part 2: Exterminators of Peace_! I have been looking forward to this part of the story. It has more drama, more suspense, and more action than Part 1! In my opinion, Part 2 is going to be better than Part 1!

Before we continue this journey, there are a few things we need to get out of the way.

First of all, I do not own the _Star Wars_ universe or anything in it (with the exception of my original characters, locations, and events.) All events in my story are non-canon, and should not be treated as part of the _Star Wars_ universe. A large amount of credit goes to George Lucas for creating _Star Wars._ Also, special thanks to the people at Lucasfilm who have expanded the universe to create many characters and locations used in this story. Specifically, I would like to thank the writers who have made the _Star Wars_ novels such compelling reads, and inspiring me to write my own stories!

Secondly, all of my stories are original works by me. While I have taken inspiration from other works of fiction, I alone came up with the ideas. As seems to be happening a lot lately, official _Star Wars_ media contains events very similar to events in my stories. This is purely coincidental, at least on my part. I came up with these ideas before the official works were published. **Please do not use any elements of my stories without my permission!**

Third, this story is rated T for Teen. While Part 1 was relatively mild, Part 2 and subsequent parts will delve into darker, more adult themes. In addition to more graphic violence and brief sexual references, there will be a lot of descriptive torture and death, depressing and frightening situations, and even parallels to real-life tragedies such as the holocaust, 9/11, and school shootings. It is my intention to make readers more aware of these events by connecting with them emotionally. Still, if the subjects are too depressing for you to continue reading, I'm very sorry that you feel that way. But, I promise, the story will have a happy ending. You just need to brave it out.

This story contains references to my previous stories, so if you haven't read them, I recommend that you do, even though it's not required. You should at least have read _Part 1: The Hunt for the Orb_. For those of you who don't feel like reading Part 1, or have read it and don't remember most of it, here is a summary that contains all of the main plot points you need to know.

And now, without further ado...

 _A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..._

* * *

 **Summary of Part 1: The Hunt for the Orb**

Over 850 years prior to the birth of the New Jedi Order, Yoda, then a Jedi Knight, went to Ruusan to explore the site of the battle in which the Sith were destroyed by their own thought bomb. When Yoda found the cave where the bomb was detonated, he was surprised to find a glowing red orb. He could sense massive amounts of Dark Force energy radiating from it, and decided to bring it back to the Jedi Temple for study. There, he discovered that it was a Sith Orb, an ancient weapon that gave its wielder ultimate power, containing the Force essences of the hundreds of Jedi and Sith that had been killed by the thought bomb.

After pitting Yoda against his former Master, N'Kata Del Gormo, the orb was shown to the Jedi Council to decide its fate. While Yoda argued that it was dangerous and should have been destroyed, most of the Council did not agree. In the end a compromise was reached. It would be hidden in a secret location known only to two Jedi at a time. If it was ever needed, the Jedi could retrieve the orb and use it. Unfortunately, the orb's location was lost when both secret-keepers died during the Jedi Purge.

On the thirty-fifth anniversary of the New Jedi Order, led by Grand Master Luke Skywalker, Don Dain was inaugurated as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Alliance. The ceremony was interrupted, however, by three dark side assassins who defeated the Jedi present and caused a galaxy-wide panic. Dain, who had always mistrusted the Jedi, decided to watch them for the slightest hint of treachery. Meanwhile, the Jedi were still being blamed for the recent takeover by Sith Lord Darth Caedus, formerly Jedi Knight Jacen Solo, and feared that if they did not catch the assassins, they would completely fall out of favor with the Alliance.

On a deep-space survey mission, Admiral Mo'Ari, a loyal ally of the Jedi, discovered a man in the wreckage of a Separatist cruiser on the Dead Planet. The man was old, comatose, blind, and legless. He soon became a medical mystery and was sent to the Jedi Temple to be examined by Jedi Master Cilghal, who was equally dumbfounded by his condition. Master Ahsoka Tano, a survivor of the old Jedi Order, identified him as Demood Elppirc, a depressed Jedi Master who had been arrested for organizing a prison break during the Clone Wars. He had been presumed dead after a failed Separatist attempt to free him.

The Jedi temporarily revived Elppirc, only to find that he had gone insane. Amidst his mad ramblings, they learned that he was a secret-keeper and deciphered his riddle to discover the Sith Orb's location on Mustafar. While Ahsoka led a Jedi strike team to recover the orb, Luke met with one of the Sith assassins, who told him their identities. They were the survivors of a project by Emperor Palpatine to clone his Force-sensitive servants. Sinestro, their leader, was a clone of Count Dooku, Volatis was of Mara Jade Skywalker, Luke's recently deceased wife, and Masculous was a mutated clone of Anakin Skywalker, Luke's father. Sinestro went on to reveal that they had been trained by Darth Caedus, and were bent on finishing his work. He also warned Luke against trusting Elppirc or finding the orb.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka and her team, including Jedi Knights Zekk, Tesar Sebatyne, Lowbacca, and Tahiri Veila, went to the Island of Serpents on Mustafar and climbed into a volcano to find the orb. However, the orb was missing, and an Imperial flag lay in its place. At that moment, the volcano began to erupt, and the Jedi had to outrun the lava. During the escape, Zekk was severely burned trying to protect the team. The mission's failure affected Tahiri greatly. She had seen her lover, Anakin Solo, die in battle, been shaped into a monstrous Yuuzhan Vong, and briefly served as Caedus' apprentice. As a result, she felt like she did not belong anywhere. Only through the support of her closest friends did she find consolation.

After consulting the Imperial head of state, Jagged Fel, with whom Jaina Solo was having a secret affair, Luke learned that the Star Destroyer transporting the orb had crashed into the ocean on Kamino. He met with Chancellor Dain to requisition underwater exploration equipment, although he neglected to say exactly what they were looking for. Dain eventually agreed to the request, with his only condition being that his Jedi bodyguard, Master Sol Fadré, be sent on the mission. After the meeting, Dain was even more convinced that the Jedi were hiding something from him.

Jaina and Sol went to Kamino to explore the underwater wreckage of the Star Destroyer, but the orb was nowhere to be found. Unexpectedly, the entire ship tilted on the ocean floor, causing the room to collapse, damaging Jaina's scuba helmet and leaving her life in the hands of Sol. Using her Force abilities she managed to free herself from the wreck and was brought safely back aboard the submarines.

Returning to the temple, Jaina and Sol investigated the clue they found on Kamino. They determined that the orb had been salvaged by a group of scavengers under the employ of Jabba the Hutt. Luke was determined to go to Jabba's palace to find the orb, but the rest of the Jedi Council felt that they should give up the hunt. Angrily, Luke stormed out and went to Tatooine with his son, Ben. It became clear that Luke's mind was unsettled by recent events and the stress of being Grand Master, even though he refused to admit it.

Beneath Jabba's palace, Luke and Ben discovered that the orb was in the possession of the mysterious B'Omarr monks, who reacted violently to Luke's request to take it and locked them away to have their brains removed. The Jedi escaped, however, and recovered the orb from the vault. They soon found themselves surrounded by monks and tried to fight their way out. But then, the orb killed all of the monks with Force energy, apparently deciding to help the Jedi.

Back at the temple, Luke used the orb to cure Elppirc of his madness and completely heal him. His success backfired, however, when Elppirc revealed himself to be have been working with the Sith assassins, who infiltrated the temple to extract Elppirc and the orb, with the help of Sol Fadré. In the ensuing battle, Sol had a change of heart and tried to destroy the orb, but it defended itself by killing him. And then, using the orb, the Sith blew open the doors to the temple and escaped.

As the Jedi reflected on this unfortunate turn of events, Luke admitted that they were right about him allowing stress to cloud his judgment. He vowed that the Jedi would not rest until the assassins, Elppirc, and the orb were hunted down and destroyed.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Night had fallen on Korriban. The desolate landscape of the Sith planet was obscured by shadow, and the already cold air was even colder. Wearing only a black military uniform and a cape, Sinestro was freezing as he strode through the Valley of the Dark Lords. But he would not let it bother him. He knew that if he was to become a Sith, like his clone template, Darth Tyranus, he would have to be stronger than such things as heat or cold.

After so many years of waiting, his journey had finally brought him to the homeworld of the Sith. Looking around, Sinestro marveled at the monolithic statues that towered over the valley and its buildings. The planet had been uninhabited for thousands of years, ever since the native Sith species, the original disciples of the dark side of the Force, went extinct. Now, the sacred temples were in ruin and the tombs were forgotten.

Soon, new life would walk on Korriban. The Sith were returning.

Sinestro entered one of the tombs, using the Force to lift the giant stone door. Inside was a pitch-dark entrance hall, soon illuminated by his glowing, red lightsaber. The floor was littered with pieces of large statues, all depicting the same man. But the pieces were so small, that one would not know who he was.

Stepping over the stone debris, Sinestro followed the hallway to another door at the end. Stepping through the door, he found himself in a semicircular chamber with steps leading up to a raised dais against the back wall. On either side of the dais was a larger-than-life statue holding a burning torch. On the dais was the tomb of Darth Bane, creator of the Rule of Two.

Sinestro kneeled before the tomb and bowed respectfully. Even though no one could hear him, he decided to speak. "Lord Bane, I have traversed the galaxy, seen many wonders, and done many things that most beings would not even dream of. But none of them compare to this moment, standing before you. In my opinion, you are the wisest, most powerful Sith Lord that the galaxy has ever seen.

"My name is Sinestro, and I started out much like you. I was but a student of the dark side, a single pawn in a master plan. And, like you, I yearned for greater power. You came here for inspiration, just as I have today, and you discovered the key to bringing balance to the Force. You created the Rule of Two, and tricked the Sith into using the thought bomb to wipe them all out. Since then, there have been only two Sith; a master and an apprentice. It is because of you that the Sith disappeared for a thousand years, only to resurface and take control of the galaxy.

"But now, the Jedi are in control, and the Rule of Two must be broken in order to defeat them. The Sith must return in full strength if we are to reaffirm our rule. Of this, I am certain. But once the Jedi are extinct, what then? Do I reinstate the Rule of Two? Do I kill my siblings to become my master's sole apprentice? All I've ever wanted was to become a true Sith Lord, but I am no longer sure that that can ever happen while I serve this new order. Tell me where my answer lies, and I will pursue it. Help me find my inspiration, so that I might become as great as you someday."

Sinestro knelt there for over an hour, waiting for his divine inspiration. But nothing happened. The silence of the tomb was unbroken, the darkness unlit, the contents unmoving. Why was there no response? The answer, of course, was obvious; Darth Bane was long dead. Sinestro was talking to no one. No help would come. He would have to find his inspiration on his own.

At that moment, he felt a current shift in the Force. His master was summoning him. Sinestro stood up and left the tomb. He mounted his speeder bike and rode away, leaving the Valley of the Dark Lords far behind him.

* * *

Somewhere in the vast, desolate plains of Korriban, a base had been erected. It was composed of several crude, metal buildings arranged neatly into a square piece of land. Surrounding the base were numerous starships of different origins. They belonged to beings who had allied with the New Sith and were contributing to the order's growth. As Sinestro parked his speeder bike near one of the buildings, he observed the various species of aliens, each with their own strengths, discussing their plans for the Sith takeover.

He dismounted the bike and strode towards the main building. At two stories tall and twenty meters wide, it was the largest one on the base, serving as a command center and personal residence for Darth Hatus. When Sinestro entered, he saw rows of computers, each manned by a controller. The large monitors allowed him to see the graphs, video messages, schematics, and documents displayed on them. Overseeing the controllers were Sinestro's siblings, Volatis and Masculous.

Noticing their brother entering the control center, they turned their heads to look at him. In a deep voice, Masculous grunted, "You're late."

Sinestro asked, "Where is Lord Hatus?"

Volatis nodded towards the elevator, flicking her red hair. "In his office, waiting for you."

"Thank you." He strode past them and entered the elevator without looking into their eyes. They were wary of him about something. He wondered if they knew what he had been thinking about in Darth Bane's tomb. It then occurred to him that if Hatus knew what he had been thinking, he might brand Sinestro a traitor and kill him. It was unlikely, so Sinestro entered his master's office without a hint of anxiety.

As the elevator doors opened, Sinestro lifted his leg to step into the office, only to find that his path was blocked by a man. His thick eyebrows furrowed and his blond moustache bristled at his surprise. "Sinestro."

"Moff Hyke, I was not expecting to see you here."

The former Imperial governor brushed his dark gray uniform and straightened his cap. "I came to ensure that my people are doing their jobs."

"If they are not, we can deal with them ourselves."

Hyke replied coolly, "No doubt, you can. Still, I have been working on this project from the very beginning, ever since I left the Empire. I chose each of the specialists who work here. I went to great lengths investigating and observing them so that they could work for you. Both my reputation and my career depend on their performance. So, you will forgive me if I want to supervise them personally."

"Do you know the most common fault shared by moffs?"

"No, and I fail to see why that's important."

"Pride," Sinestro answered. "Most of the moffs before you were overcome by their pride. Grand Moff Tarkin, for example, was too overconfident of the Death Star, and paid for his pride with his life. I suggest you keep your own pride in check, Hyke, or you will meet a similar fate."

Hyke leaned in close to Sinestro's face and growled, "You are out of line, Sinestro. Perhaps instead of worrying about my pride, you should work on your attitude." He marched onto the elevator, letting Sinestro off. The doors closed behind him.

Hatus' office was sparsely furnished and decorated. The small room contained a large desk with multiple holographic screens and chairs for Hatus and his visitors. Beyond the office was his living quarters, from which the eerie Force aura of the Sith Orb emanated. At first, Sinestro did not see his master, but he quickly deduced that he was sitting in his hoverchair facing the large window behind the desk, looking out over the base. Sinestro announced himself. "You summoned me, Master?"

The chair rotated so that its occupant was facing Sinestro. Judging by his tight face, black hair, and sharp eyes, he appeared to be forty years old. But in reality, he had lived for nearly a century. It was hard to believe that, just eight months ago, this man had been Demood Elppirc, a surviving Jedi Master of the Old Republic. He had been blind and bald, his skin melted, and his legs amputated. But that had all been fixed thanks to the Sith Orb.

Hatus said, "You're late. I was starting to think that you had gotten lost."

Sinestro bowed to Darth Hatus. "Forgive me, Master. I was exploring the Valley of the Dark Lords."

Hatus smirked. "I see. You were familiarizing yourself with the culture of our forefathers. Well, you shouldn't. We are not like the old order. They may have been strong, but they were ignorant. Emperor Palpatine knew the correct way to rule the galaxy, and we will follow his example."

"Of course. How are you feeling, Master?"

Hatus reached for the black cane leaning against his desk and used it to push himself out of the chair. Gingerly, he walked forward on his newly regenerated legs. He searched for the right choice of words. "I feel… extraordinary. The orb has done miracles for my body. My strength increases every day. Soon, I will be strong enough to infuse the orb directly into my bloodstream. Then, I will be invincible!"

"It is a rare privilege to serve someone so powerful," said Sinestro. "I am grateful for your tutelage."

Hatus stood in front of his apprentice. "Consider us equals in this. You are the one who gave me this power. It is only fair that, in return, I share it with you. I summoned you here to for an important reason. But, before we begin, how is our plan progressing?"

Sinestro was confused. "You should know, Master. All of our production reports are immediately forwarded to you."

"I know. I want to hear it in your own words."

Sinestro reported, "Everything is going better than we had expected. Production has skyrocketed since you joined us, due largely in part to the Sith Orb. The ability to convert matter has proven invaluable. Also, our specialists are more skilled than we anticipated. Governor Hyke chose them well."

Hatus held up his hand and asked, "Tell me, what is your opinion of Governor Hyke?"

Sinestro did not restrain himself. "He is proud and arrogant. Above all, he is rude. I fail to see his usefulness in the overall scheme of things."

"He does possess one useful quality. He has access to resources previously used by the Empire. He has found some of the best scientists and engineers to help us build our army. As long as we need support from independent companies, we need Hyke." Hatus moved on. "Now, how close are we to achieving our goal?"

"We estimate that, at our current rate of production, we will reach our goal within a year."

"Excellent! And what of the assassin droids?"

"They have been a difficult challenge. The droids are becoming more lethal, but not lethal enough to take on Jedi. Their designers assure me that they are making progress. They are asking for at least four more months."

Hatus waved his hand dismissively. "Give them as much time as they need. But the droids must be ready before we reach our goal. Of course, without an army, there _is_ no goal. I trust that progress is being made in that area?"

Sinestro frowned. "You must understand, we have searched everywhere, and there is no source of Sith DNA anywhere in the galaxy. We have fragments recovered from the tombs, but it's not enough to build a complete genetic profile."

Clearly annoyed, Hatus scowled and said, "We have some of the finest geneticists in the galaxy working on this project, and they all said that it was possible. If they can't find Sith DNA, can't they use another species?"

"That is what they suggested. However, it will require some testing to determine compatibility, and the warriors would not be pure Sith."

"Impure Sith is better than no Sith at all. As long as they possess a strong connection to the dark side, they will suit our purposes just fine."

Sinestro nodded his head. "Very good, Master. I will let the scientists know."

"One more thing. How many planets have joined our cause?"

Nervously, Sinestro replied, "Only a handful. The rest of them are resisting occupation. Our mercenaries and volunteers do not have the ability to control them."

"That is what I wanted to discuss with you," said Hatus. "We have very little support. The orb can be used to control individuals, but not entire civilizations. The people have to join us willingly, which is a problem because they expect the Jedi to protect them."

"The way things are," stated Sinestro, "the Jedi will not be a problem for much longer. Chancellor Dain is suspicious of the Jedi. Knowing him, he will more than likely turn the Galactic Alliance against them. We just need to keep the Jedi occupied with hunting us down rather than watching over the people."

"And therein lies the solution to our problem. The people. We have tried bribes and threats to no avail. Now, we must hurt them. Go to the planets that offer the most resistance to us, take some of their people, and bring them to our work camps." Hatus stressed his next point by holding up a finger. "Make sure that the planets are not within the Alliance's jurisdiction. And don't take too many people at one time. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves. As the kidnappings increase, the rest of the people will fall in line out of fear."

Sinestro had to admit that the plan made sense, but he was afraid to act on it. "With all due respect, Master, I do not feel that this is the right course of action."

Hatus raised an eyebrow. "If you have any objections, I would like to hear them. Please, entertain me."

"Soon, we'll be able to breed our own army. One that can do all of the manual labor for us. Taking ordinary beings who are not built for the conditions we require would not be efficient. Besides, we have done so well hiding from the Jedi for so long. Surely, we could wait longer until we have reached our full strength, and then take the Alliance by surprise. The ensuing panic would do more damage to the Jedi morale than a series of unimportant kidnappings."

"Those are excellent points, Sinestro. However, in the grand scheme of things, I think it would be better to strike slowly now, weaken the Jedi before our takeover begins. This method reduces casualties on our side and increases casualties on theirs."

Sinestro made one more attempt to sway his master. "Do we want more casualties? Hasn't the galaxy suffered enough? In the Yuuzhan Vong War, entire planets were destroyed; trillions of innocent beings were killed. I lost my home, my family. I want to _end_ suffering. I want to impose order on the galaxy to achieve that."

Hatus smiled ruefully. "You honestly think you can end suffering?" He hobbled over to his desk and pressed a button that projected a holomap of the galaxy. "Thousands of planets, each with billions of people, yet only a fraction of a percentage of them know what suffering is. Why should all the suffering in the galaxy fall on the shoulders of a select few, such as ourselves, while everyone else lives in ignorance? The suffering must be shared by everyone. I want everyone to know _my_ suffering!"

"Forgive me for asking, but how does your suffering caused by the Jedi compare to everyone else's suffering caused by the Yuuzhan Vong?"

This made Hatus angry. "You think you know my whole story? You don't even know half of what I've been through! The galaxy has healed from the Yuuzhan Vong War, but my wounds run too deep. Nothing can heal me. The only consolation I will ever have is knowing that the entire galaxy will share my pain. That, Sinestro, is what I'm fighting for."

Sinestro tried to think of a comeback from his mistake, but all he could do was bow humbly to his master and say, "Forgive me, Master. It is not my place to question your emotions. I will do as you command."

Hatus' anger abated and he began to soften. "I'm glad we're on the same page, my friend. Together, we will create the most powerful Sith Empire ever! Go now; there is much to be done."

Sinestro turned and left the office. As he descended the elevator, he reflected on the conversation. It was clear that he and his master had different agendas. Sinestro wanted order and justice, while Hatus wanted power and suffering. Their approaches were not very different – for now. But Sinestro wondered what would become of their relationship in the future.

* * *

After Sinestro had left, Hatus sat back in his hoverchair with a relieved sigh. He still was not entirely used to his legs, and preferred to sit whenever possible. He guided the chair into his personal quarters, consisting mostly of food and medical supplies. He drove to a shelf with a large case on it. He opened the case and removed the item that it contained. It was the Sith Orb.

Hatus held the glowing red sphere in his hands, using the Force to feed off of its power. He breathed heavily, relishing the rush of Force energy flowing through his veins. It was a feeling unlike any other. In that moment, he forgot everything – who he was, what he was doing – and was overpowered by a feeling that he could do anything. It was a high unlike any other, and Hatus was addicted.

In his days as a Jedi, Demood Elppirc had been one of two people at a time to know where the orb had been hidden. He could have gone after it himself, but the Jedi had warned that it was dangerous. And now that he had the orb, Hatus could not see what they meant. It had given him all the power in the universe, and nothing could stop him; not even the great Luke Skywalker.

* * *

I hope this chapter has gotten you interested enough to read the rest of the story! If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

There was no sight in the galaxy quite like Coruscant at sunset, especially when viewed from the Jedi Council Chamber atop one of the spires of the Jedi Temple. Gazing out over the cityscape, Luke Skywalker saw the black silhouettes of towering skyscrapers set against an orange sky. Tiny black specks, travelling in straight lines, represented the airspeeders flying in designated traffic lanes. Day or night, the capital planet of the Galactic Alliance never slept.

Everyone on Coruscant was going about their daily lives, as though nothing was wrong with the galaxy. Lately, Luke had begun to wonder if there _was_ anything wrong. Even though the Sith assassins and Demood Elppirc were still alive and in possession of the Sith Orb, there had been no sign of them since their escape from the Jedi Temple seven months prior. Perhaps there really was no threat to the Alliance.

If only the Jedi were so lucky.

One by one, the ten members of the Jedi Council entered the chamber and took their seats. It was time for the meeting to begin. Luke, being the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, spoke first. "By now, I think we all know the reason for these emergency meetings, so let's get to it. For the past seven months, we've all been searching for clues that could lead us to the Sith. So far, all we have are rumors and pieces of information. But now we have something else – a holotransmission between Sol Fadré and the assassin known as Sinestro."

All of the masters were surprised to hear this. Kyp Durron asked, "Forgive me for being pessimistic, but how do we know this is concrete evidence? We've been disappointed in the past."

Saba Sebatyne sissed, "This one agreez with Master Durron. The Sith have covered their tracks well. All trailz have run cold."

Ahsoka Tano replied, "I'm the one who found the recording. I cleaned it up as best I could, and I think you'd all be interested in what I found."

Kyle Katarn asked, "How exactly did you find it, Master Tano?"

"After Master Fadré's death, we went through all of his possessions hoping to find some clues. When we came up with nothing, we went through his computer files and transmissions. Those didn't help us, either. A lot of them had been erased beyond recovery. Later, it occurred to me that he might have routed his messages through the temple's transmitter, in which case the calls might still have been archived. So, I went into the universal communications system for the Jedi Temple and ran a program that searched for keywords, faces, and voices. It took a long time, but we did find one call that was made over two years ago."

"Two years?" repeated Corran Horn, incredulously. "Are you suggesting that we have had a traitor in our midst for two years and never suspected a thing?"

Leia Organa Solo answered calmly, "Let's not jump to any conclusions yet. We still have no idea how long the Sith have been planning this. For all we know, this could have started five, ten, or even twenty years ago."

Ahsoka continued, "Anyway, I cleaned up the recording. I'll let it speak for itself." With a wave of her hand, the wide, panoramic windows tinted and the holoprojector in the center of the floor activated, creating two blue, transparent figures. The first person was Sol Fadré, formerly a friend and colleague, and now a dead traitor. The other was Sinestro, a clone of Sith Lord Count Dooku. Both appeared slightly younger than when they had last been seen.

Sinestro smiled at Sol. "Ah, Master Fadré. I see you got my message."

Sol was not so friendly. "It's kind of hard to ignore a voice in your head, especially yours. You promised me an explanation, and that's what you're going to give me."

"And I will. But first, I am curious. How did you track me down?"

Sol replied, "I don't see what this has to do with your explanation. Tell me what I want to know now, or I'll run a trace on this connection and tell Master Skywalker where you are."

Sinestro shrugged. "I suppose that could be easily done. Too easily, actually. The fact that you have not already done so tells me that you are curious. So, we are just two curious men who want answers. So tell me, how did you track me down?"

It was a moment before Sol answered reluctantly, "While investigating Jacen Solo, I hacked into the Galactic Alliance's financial records. Of all the money being given to GAG, the Guard's finances report lower numbers coming in. Meaning, somewhere in transit, money is being spent on something that Jacen doesn't want people to know about. So, I waited for the next payment and observed where the money was going. After reaching Jacen's office, some of the money went straight to a separate account registered to you."

Sinestro appeared genuinely shocked by this line of reasoning. Apparently, he did not expect to be tracked down in such a manner. He asked, "Who gave you the authority to hack bank accounts? Surely not the Jedi Council."

"This was a personal request by Mara Jade Skywalker. The last one she made to me, in fact. I shared in her belief that Jacen had turned to the dark side, which is why she asked me to find evidence."

Sinestro raised an eyebrow curiously. "Really? Why would she ask you and not Luke? I'd think she would trust her own husband more for such a task."

Luke could feel most of the eyes in the room glance in his direction to see his reaction. Based on what Sol had just said, this transmission had taken place just after Mara's murder at the hands of Jacen, her nephew. Before her death, she had argued to the council that Jacen had turned to the dark side, but they would not believe it, as there had been no concrete evidence. Not even Luke had believed her, and, for that, she had lost her life.

Luke and Mara's son, Ben, had been Jacen's apprentice, and continued to serve him in the Galactic Alliance Guard. Afraid that Jacen would pull Ben down with him, Mara went to confront him alone. She never even had a chance to say goodbye to her husband. Luke had no idea that she had been forced to put her trust in Sol Fadré. If Luke had not ignored her, then not only would she still be alive, but Sol would never have discovered the Sith plot. He would never have joined the Sith, recruited Elppirc, or helped steal the Sith Orb.

Ahsoka must have sensed Luke's thoughts, for she sent him a mental slap through the Force. She was trying to tell him to stop blaming himself for everything. Normally, he would, but not this time. Mara's death had hit him too close to home, and he would not easily recover from it.

Luke returned his attention to the holotransmission. Sinestro said, "Now that you have answered my question, I will answer yours. It all began years ago, in a cloning lab on Kamino. That is where I was created. I am among many clones of some of Emperor Palpatine's servants. He commissioned our creation as a safeguard should the Jedi rise again. However, when the Galactic Alliance was formed, the project was abandoned. Now, we are just doing what we were bred to do – rebuild the Galactic Empire and reassert the Sith's control over the galaxy."

Sol asked, "How does Jacen Solo fit into this? Do you work for him?"

"Technically, although we have never actually met him. Since our work began, we have been quietly gathering allies to aid our cause. But only one of them could train me and my siblings in the ways of the dark side: Lumiya."

All of the Jedi Masters seethed at the mention of the Dark Lady of the Sith. In the days of the Rebel Alliance, Lumiya, then known as Shira Brie, had been sent by Darth Vader to infiltrate the Rebellion and attempt to capture Luke. She had done well at deceiving them all, going so far as to form a romantic attachment to Luke. However, he later sensed her true intentions through the Force and shot down her Starfighter, presumably killing her.

Lumiya survived and was given cybernetic implants by Vader to compensate for the damage to her body. After multiple failed attempts at revenge, she went into hiding until she was discovered by Jacen Solo. She then manipulated the Jedi Knight into becoming Darth Caedus, exacting her revenge on Luke and the Solos. When Mara was killed by Jacen, Lumiya allowed the blame to fall on her, and let Luke kill her out of anger.

Luke thought that he had been rid of her forever, but now, she had struck again from beyond the grave. For a moment, Luke was confused. When he spoke with Sinestro the previous year, the dark side assassin had said that Caedus had trained him and his siblings. It did not take long for Luke to realize that it was a lie to disguise Lumiya's involvement, for any one of many possible reasons.

In the holotransmission, Sol bared his teeth in anger. "Lumiya killed Mara Jade Skywalker, and Luke killed her. When he gets his hands on you…"

Sinestro scoffed. "You know better than that. You know that it was Jacen who killed Mara. Lumiya _allowed_ herself to be killed to protect us and our new master. When she revealed herself to the Jedi, she knew that if they pried too much, they would discover our secret operation and put an end to it."

Sol pointed out, "I found you by other means. How do you know Master Skywalker won't find you the same way?"

"Because you will hide the truth from him."

Sol laugh derisively. "And why in any universe would I do that?"

"Because you know that the end is coming. In a few years' time, our army will be ready, and Jacen Solo will lead us in a war against the Jedi. They have become fractured. They will not have the strength to resist us. The Sith will rule the galaxy once more, and the Jedi will be destroyed, once and for all."

Sol did not say anything. He looked downward, thinking about what Sinestro had said. In fact, he appeared to be considering it. Finally, he said, "I'll admit, I've begun to have doubts in the Jedi Order. But I'm not convinced that you pose a genuine threat. An army built in secret can't be that great."

Sinestro smiled maliciously. "Why don't you come see for yourself? Our primary facility is on Dromund Kaas. Once you see the scale of our operation, I'm sure you'll see reason."

Sol was surprised. "You think it's a good idea to just tell me where you are? How do you know I won't tell the council? Perhaps you are lying?"

"It is not a lie. If you come to Dromund Kaas, you will see that I am telling the truth."

Sol's mouth hung open in shock. He shook his head defiantly and argued, "Now I _know_ you're lying. Dromund Kaas is just a myth."

"Oh, is that what Master Skywalker has been telling you? If you look deep enough in the Jedi Archives, you will find that he does know where it is."

Before Sol had a chance to reply, Sinestro cut off the transmission. His hologram disappeared, followed by Sol's. The recording had ended, and the Jedi Masters were left contemplating what they had just seen.

Kenth Hamner was the first to break the silence. "So, now we know how far back this plot goes. We also know who has been involved: Lumiya, Caedus, and now Demood Elppirc."

"As far as we know," corrected Cilghal. "Sinestro has been gathering allies ever since the Yuuzhan Vong War. There's no telling who else is involved. For all we know, they could have spies within the Alliance, the Imperial Remnant, or even the Jedi Order itself."

"I bet Dain's in on it," said Kyp. "He would do anything to get rid of us, that three-eyed, two-faced sneak!"

Kyle held up a restraining hand. "Calm down, Master Durron. Let's not go accusing the Chancellor of anything just yet."

Ahsoka, barely listening, stared into space and shook her head. "How could we have been so blind? This is exactly how the Old Jedi Order died." Ahsoka had already witnessed firsthand the destruction of one Jedi Order, and now she was on the path to seeing the destruction of another. She pulled herself back into the present and announced, "We have to act quickly before it's too late. The Sith _must_ be destroyed!"

Octa Ramis, who was usually quiet, suggested, "Perhaps we should present this recording to the Senate. They might commission a preemptive strike on the Sith."

Luke shook his head. "We can't show this to anyone, especially not Dain. We assigned Master Fadré to be his bodyguard. If we reveal that he was a traitor, Dain might think we wanted to assassinate him."

Corran pointed out, "And then there's the matter of the Sith Orb and Master Elppirc. We never told the Alliance about them, either. And now, the Sith have them both because of our failure. If Dain heard about that, we'd never hear the end of it."

Leia joked, "The thought does make one cringe." More seriously, she stated, "If we can prove to the Alliance that the Sith are a real threat without incriminating us, Dain will no doubt approve of an attack. Until then, we're on our own."

Kenth said, "Sinestro mentioned a location in the transmission: Dromund Kaas. I think we all know the significance of that world."

Kyle recounted the history of the planet. "Five thousand years ago, Dromund Kaas became the capital planet of the Sith Empire. They used the planet to build up their armies and launch a war against the Old Republic. The Jedi tried to attack the planet, but its electrified atmosphere made landing their ships difficult. It was decades before the planet finally fell and the Sith Empire was dissolved. After that, the planet became lost to history, and everyone believed it was a myth.

"Then, a few years after the New Order was founded, I discovered the planet's location from ancient texts. When I went there, I found that it was a dark Force nexus filled with all kinds of Sith…" Kyle searched for a word to appropriately describe what he encountered, and decided on "abominations. I even fell to the dark side until Mara came to find me. After that, we decided that Dromund Kaas was too dangerous, and worked to keep its existence secret."

Kenth nodded his head. "Yes. And now, it seems, the Sith have found it again. Perhaps Jacen Solo dug it out of our records, or Lumiya somehow knew about it."

Corran looked at Kyle and asked, "Do you think Master Fadré turned to the dark side the same way you did? He was overcome by curiosity and went to the planet?"

Kyle shrugged. "I'd like to think that he didn't turn willingly. He was a good friend, and if I have to believe that Dromund Kaas corrupted him, then I will."

Ahsoka spoke up. "I'm willing to bet that the Sith are still on Dromund Kaas. We should launch an attack on the planet as soon as possible."

"With what?" asked Cilghal. "We've already established that the Alliance won't help us, and we have no army of our own. A scouting mission is more practical."

Saba hissed, "There is no time to scout! The Sith grow stronger every second we delay! We must pounce when they are at their weakest!"

Leia said, "I agree with Master Sebatyne. If we're going to attack, it should be now. The only reason they haven't shown themselves yet is because they're not ready to take us on. If we send a scout, they'll know we're onto them and speed up their plan. We may not need an entire army to stop them, but we do need help."

After a moment of thought, Luke smiled as an idea came to him. "I think I know who can help us."

* * *

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

In a galaxy rife with turmoil, Leia Organa Solo insisted that family ties were more important than ever. That is why the Skywalker-Solo clan agreed to have dinner together at least once a week. Over the past couple of years, however, they began to fall out of that habit. Now, they were lucky if they had dinner more than once a month. On this particular day, they had no choice, owing to a celebration. In the Solo apartment, Leia was in the kitchen preparing food for the family, with help from her granddaughter, Allana. It was her tenth birthday, and Leia wanted everything to be perfect.

This was one of the rare instances where they could call the girl by her real name, rather than her cover identity as Han and Leia Solo's adoptive daughter, Amelia. Allana was the daughter of Jacen Solo and Hapan Queen Mother Tenel Ka Djo. Because of Jacen's short but infamous reign as Supreme Chancellor, and the Hapan nobles frowning on the illegitimacy of their princess, Tenel Ka kept Allana's parentage a secret. After Jacen became Darth Caedus, she staged the girl's death as a cover to release her into the custody of her grandparents.

Leia hated having to raise Allana to keep such large secrets, but it was unavoidable. If Allana was troubled by her burden, she did not show it. She understood what had happened to her father, and why it was so important that no one know about her. She was a kind and curious child who showed a powerful connection to the Force.

In the living room, the family's longtime droid companions, C-3PO and R2-D2, were setting up tables and chairs. C-3PO fretted, "Well, this certainly won't do!" R2-D2 beeped a question, to which the gold protocol droid answered, "These chairs are too close together. In order for everyone to be seated comfortably, the chairs must be placed at least sixty centimeters apart. You wouldn't understand, not with your bulky astromech body, but I'm programmed to know that humans prefer their personal space."

R2-D2 warbled mockingly, but C-3PO ignored him. "And just look at this room. The lack of decorations is appalling! I assume _you_ were in charge of making the room more festive, although I can't imagine why, so if this party is a complete disaster, it will be all your fault!"

From the kitchen, Allana laughed and said, "I didn't _want_ decorations, Threepio! I'm just happy to have everyone here."

C-3PO stiffened in surprise. He was unfamiliar with the idea of having a party without festivities. "Well! Just when I thought I finally understood humans, it seems I still have much to learn."

Leia explained, "This is just a small dinner, Threepio. The main focus is the food and the company. Make sure we have enough room for everyone: me, Han, Luke, Ben, Jaina, Allana, and Tenel Ka."

"WHAT?! Why was I not informed of this? This setup is hardly befitting of a Queen Mother! Oh, this is a disaster!" R2-D2 emitted a series of beeps that sounded like laughter, prompting C-3PO to exclaim, "You! You knew about this and you didn't tell me! How could you?"

Leia said, "Calm down. Tenel Ka is not coming as a Queen Mother; she's coming as family. We don't have to observe any royal courtesies tonight."

"No decorations? No courtesies? Then what is the point of my being here?"

"You're right," said Han Solo, entering from the master bedroom, buttoning up a clean shirt. "You don't need to be here, so why don't you head out for a night on the town?"

C-3PO faced Han and said, "I can only assume that that was an attempt at sarcasm, seeing as I do not have the capacity for such frivolous activity."

"That's too bad. You could learn a few things about humans by having fun." Han walked past the protocol droid and entered the kitchen. "Is this nice enough for you?"

Leia stopped what she was doing to study Han's appearance. After a few seconds, she answered, "I guess it'll do." She returned her attention to preparing dinner.

Han inhaled through his nose and asked, "What's cooking?" He stood behind Allana and studied the cake she was icing. "Mmm, smells good."

He stuck out a finger to scrape off some icing, but Allana lightly slapped his hand away. "No, grandpa! It's for the party!"

"Aw, can't I just have one taste?" He stuck out his finger again.

Allana giggled as she yelled, "No!"

Han laughed and ruffled her black-dyed hair. "Do you make that all by yourself, sweetie?"

Allana nodded proudly. "Yep! I even used the oven!"

"Wow! That's great! Maybe you should learn how to make other stuff, then grandma and I won't have to cook anymore."

Leia looked at Han with mock incredulity. "Since when do _you_ cook? Maybe you should learn so _I_ don't have to cook all the time."

"Hey, I can cook. Just give me a nerf steak and watch me grill it to perfection."

The door buzzer sounded, indicating someone's arrival. Leia called, "Threepio, could you answer the door, please?"

C-3PO, giddy at the chance to be useful, replied, "Oh, of course, Mistress Leia! I would be happy to!" A moment later, they heard him say, "Your majesty! What an honor to have you here!"

A woman's voice replied, "Thanks, Threepio, but you can drop the courtesies for tonight."

Allana exclaimed, "Mom!" She ran into the living room to hug her mother.

Tenel Ka Djo wore a hooded cloak to conceal her identity while travelling to the Solos' apartment, but once she was through the door, she shrugged it off and gave it the C-3PO to hang up. She was a tall woman, lithe and muscular, with gray eyes and red hair. Part of her left arm had been severed during a lightsaber training accident as a teenager at the Jedi Academy. She chose not to replace her missing limb with a prosthetic as a reminder of the arrogance that led to the accident.

Tenel Ka wrapped her right arm around her daughter and said, "Happy birthday, Allana."

Allana said, "I'm so glad you came."

"Why wouldn't I come? I rarely get the chance to be with my daughter."

Leia entered the living room, smiling. "Hello, Tenel Ka." The two women hugged and Leia said, "Allana, why don't you go finish your cake? And make sure grandpa doesn't taste anything."

"Okay!" Allana trotted back into the kitchen.

Leia and Tenel Ka sat down on the sofa. Tenel Ka asked, "I hope you haven't been having any problems with her. Has she been behaving?"

Leia answered, "For the most part. She's a sweet girl, but sometimes her curiosity gets the better of her. She's also been experimenting with the Force. She has a very strong connection to it."

"I'm not surprised. Do you think she has what it takes to become a Jedi?"

Leia nodded. "I do. I've already started teaching her basic techniques. We're working on shielding her mind from Force probes. If the Sith ever get to her, I don't want them to find out her true identity."

Tenel Ka shuddered at the thought of Allana in the hands of the Sith. "Let's hope she never gets put in that situation. I'm grateful for everything you've done for her, Leia. You've given me one less thing to worry about."

"How are things on Hapes?"

"Same old, same old. Border disputes, power feuds, money, and annoying nobles. I constantly have to study them to decide who's loyal, and who just wants to get in bed with me. Some of them insist on offering their sympathies for Allana's 'death'. Even today, there are still rumors flying around about who her father was."

Leia took on a more sympathetic tone as she asked, "And how are you, specifically?"

Tenel Ka averted her eyes to try and hide her pain. "I've made my peace with what happened. I loved Jacen very much, and betraying him wasn't easy for me. And as much as I love Allana, I can't forget that she was a mistake caused by my emotions and a lapse in judgment. Sometimes I wonder how things would have been different had I acted differently."

"Jacen loved her more than anyone else," reminded Leia. "All he ever wanted was to protect her, until the very end."

Tenel Ka nodded. "I know."

At that moment, the door buzzer sounded again, and C-3PO hurried to answer it. "Oh! Master Luke! And Master Ben! How wonderful to see you both!"

"Thanks, Threepio," replied Luke Skywalker. He entered the living room followed by his son, Ben. Luke addressed the Queen Mother. "It's good to see you again, Tenel Ka."

Tenel Ka stood up and bowed to Luke. "Grand Master." She then smiled at his son. "Hello, Ben."

Ben bowed and said, "Queen Mother."

"You can call me Tenel Ka tonight. And you don't have to bow, either."

"You called my dad 'Master' and bowed to him," Ben pointed out.

Tenel Ka laughed. "Yes, I did. Force of habit, I suppose." She studied the young man. "You're a lot taller than I remember. How old are you now?"

"Eighteen. Nineteen, in a few months."

"Well, that explains it. You're almost as tall as your dad."

"Almost," said Luke. "But he still has to do what I tell him."

The door buzzed once more. This time, it was Jaina Solo. "Hi, everyone. Am I late?"

Leia answered, "No, you're just in time."

Tenel Ka moved forward and hugged her friend. "Jaina, it's been too long."

Jaina replied, "I'm so glad you're here. Things have been rough for us lately."

"So I've heard."

Allana came out of the kitchen, prompting a "Happy birthday!" from all of the guests. She ran up and hugged each of them in turn. She said to Leia, "The cake's all done, and so is everything else!"

"Great!" exclaimed Leia. Addressing the guests, she said, "Everyone, we're ready to start eating, so if you take your seats, Han and I will start bringing in the food."

After everyone had sat down and started eating, Tenel Ka asked Luke, "So, what exactly is going on with the Sith?"

After a moment of thought, Luke answered, "I suppose there's no harm in telling you, although I would appreciate it if you told no one else."

"It's my job to keep secrets, Master Skywalker."

"Alright. After the inauguration, we found a Jedi survivor–"

"I already know about that," interrupted Tenel Ka. "I also know that Master Fadré was a traitor."

Luke sighed in frustration. "I see someone's been saying things she wasn't supposed to say." He glared at Jaina, who responded with an apologetic look. He continued, "Well, our latest intelligence shows that, apparently, this Sith plot has been in the works since the Yuuzhan Vong War. The assassins were being helped by Lumiya and, later…" Luke trailed off and glanced at Allana, wondering if it was a good idea to mention her father's crimes in front of her.

The girl must have suspected what Luke was about to say, for her smile vanished and she said, "It's okay, Uncle Luke. I understand." She looked down at the table, avoiding eye contact.

Luke chose his words carefully to spare Allana's feelings. "He embezzled Alliance funds into the Sith operation. Master Fadré found out about it and confronted them. Something convinced him to join them."

Tenel Ka asked, "Do you have any idea what they're doing? Or where to find them?"

Luke answered, "All we know is, their base was on Dromund Kaas at the time Master Fadré joined them. We've begun planning an attack on the planet. With any luck, the Sith will still be there, and we can end this problem once and for all."

"An attack?" repeated Jaina. "Somehow, I doubt Chancellor Dain will like that."

"Which is why we're not going to tell him. We can't rely on to Alliance fleet, so we're going to commit as many Jedi as we can. I've also signaled Admiral Mo'Ari to contact me. I'm sure he'll be happy to help us."

Ben said, "I've heard stories about Dromund Kaas. Is it really as bad as they say?"

Luke nodded. "It may even be worse."

"Well, I'm not afraid. I'll gladly face whatever's down there."

Luke sighed, knowing that an argument was about to ensue. "Actually, Ben, we've decided not to send any apprentices."

Han muttered, "Uh oh. You shouldn't have said that." Leia elbowed him in the ribs.

Ben groaned, "Oh, come on! Why can't I go?"

Luke explained, "This is a dangerous mission, Ben. I don't want to risk anyone who isn't ready."

"I'm just as ready as any knight! Don't tell me you're still being paranoid about sending me on missions."

"I am not being paranoid," argued Luke. "The fact is, we don't know what to expect."

"Which is why you need all the help you can get. You said yourself that you're going to commit as many Jedi as you can."

Han broke in, "Can't argue with that, Luke. Maybe bringing him along wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Leia scolded, "Han, stay out of this."

Ben continued, "You told me that I'll become a knight once I've proven myself. Well, this is as good an opportunity than anything."

Luke snapped back, "Fine! If you really think you're ready, then you can come with us."

"Thank you!" Ben's tone conveyed sarcasm more than it did sincerity. After that, everyone continued eating in silence.

Finally, Leia asked, "Who's ready for cake?"

Allana jumped up out of her seat. "I'll get it!" She ran into the kitchen and came out a moment later carrying a large, rectangular cake. She grinned from ear to ear as she set it down on the table.

Tenel Ka asked, "Did you make that all by yourself?"

"Yep! It's cocoa with jogan fruit icing!"

"Sounds delicious!" exclaimed Jaina.

Carefully, Allana picked up the pastry knife and cut the cake into pieces. She then handed out a piece to each person. After everyone had been served, she sat down and began eating her own slice.

Ben nodded his head as he chewed. "This is good, Allana."

Tenel Ka asked, "Is there anything specific you want for your birthday?"

Allana put down her fork and said, "Well, what I really want is to start my Jedi training."

Everyone paused and looked at the girl with surprise. After a moment of silence, Leia said, "I've already been teaching you the ways of the Force."

"I know, but I want to be an _actual_ Jedi."

Luke said, "Now isn't exactly the best time to start, honey. Maybe after things cool down a bit…"

Ben interrupted, "Don't listen to him, Allana. He's just being paranoid." Luke frowned at his son.

Tenel Ka had the final say. "Why shouldn't she begin training now? The experience could be good for her. If she wants to be a Jedi, then she'll be a Jedi."

Allana smiled proudly. "Thanks, Mom."

Luke nodded. "Alright. You can begin after the attack on Dromund Kaas."

After that, everyone continued eating and talking. When Luke's comlink began beeping, he excused himself from the table and went into the kitchen to take the call. He pressed the answer button and a hologram of a middle-aged man in a white military uniform. Admiral Mo'Ari smiled and said, "Master Skywalker, I got your message. How can I help you?"

Luke replied, "I need your help. The Jedi need your help."

"As you know, I am always happy to help the Jedi."

"This is different. We are acting without the knowledge of Chancellor Dain. If he finds out that you helped us, you could get in trouble."

Mo'Ari frowned for a few seconds before asking, "What exactly do you need me to do?"

Luke leaned against the counter and said, "I should start from the beginning. You remember the Jedi survivor you found on the Dead Planet last year?"

"It's not something one could easily forget."

"Well, we managed to cure him using an ancient Sith artifact. It wasn't until afterwards that we learned he was working with the Sith assassins from Dain's inauguration. They helped him escape, and now we have reason to believe that they're building an army on Dromund Kaas."

Mo'Ari's mouth hung open in shock. "An army? How? An army of what?"

"We don't know. All we know is, they've been planning this since the Yuuzhan Vong War. And now that they have the Sith artifact, there's no telling how strong they are now."

"And the Chancellor doesn't know about any of this?"

Luke explained, "He doesn't even know about the Jedi survivor. If he finds out, he'll definitely blame us. That's why we have to solve this problem on our own. We're going to attack Dromund Kaas before the Sith can reveal themselves. But we can't do it alone. That's why we need your help."

Mo'Ari thought for a moment. "I suppose I could spare a few Star Destroyers. I could lead the attack myself. As an admiral, I have the power to commit as many ships as I want to prospective trouble spots. I doubt the Chancellor could punish me for that."

"Thank you, Admiral. I'll be in contact to discuss the specifics of the attack."

"Until them, may the Force be with you." Mo'Ari bowed.

Luke returned the farewell. "And also with you." He ended the transmission and returned to the party. Watching what was left of his family talking like nothing was wrong, Luke wondered if he could finally end a crisis without losing another loved one.

* * *

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Luke Skywalker stood on the bridge of the Alliance Star Destroyer _Reliant_ , commanded by Admiral Mo'Ari. Around him, gray-uniformed officers sat or stood at computer stations, performing their various tasks. It still amazed Luke that, forty years ago, they would have been working to destroy him, rather than obey him. He was surprised that they were obeying him now. With Chancellor Dain's anti-Jedi sentiment, the Jedi Order had very few friends in the Alliance. Mo'Ari vouched for the crew's loyalty, but Luke still wondered how loyal they would be if they found out Dain did not know of the mission.

Mo'Ari and the Jedi Council had come up with a concrete plan of attack. They had three Star Destroyers at their disposal, each with a full crew and starfighter complement. Hopefully, that would be more than enough to take on whatever the Sith threw at them. Most of the Jedi on Coruscant had been committed to the attack. Luke prayed that all of them would return. Especially Ben.

The _Reliant_ dropped out of hyperspace over Dromund Kaas. Visually, the planet was nothing special. It was an Outer Rim world covered in jungles, swamps, and oceans. Dark gray clouds obscured most of the planet, with faint bursts of white light signifying lightning storms. According to legend, Dromund Kaas' atmosphere became highly electrified as a result of the ancient Sith Emperor's experiments with the dark side of the Force.

An officer announced, "Admiral, all three ships have dropped out of hyperspace. We are not detecting any other ships in orbit around the planet."

From behind Luke, Mo'Ari ordered, "Have all ships hold position just beyond the magnetic field. Scan the planet for life-forms or technology."

After several seconds, an officer at the sensor station reported, "Sir, we can't get accurate readings. The numbers are fluctuating too wildly."

"Can you give me an average?"

"No, sir. Again, the numbers are fluctuating too wildly. It's probably an effect of the electrified atmosphere."

Mo'Ari frowned in concern and turned to Luke. "Master Skywalker, can you sense anything through the Force?"

Luke closed his eyes and opened himself to the Force. He reached toward the planet and was stopped by a dark barrier. Luke pushed harder, slowly penetrating the barrier. After a few seconds, he could feel what was on the planet's surface. Mostly, it was exotic flora and fauna scattered across the planet, but there was one particular area where Luke could sense hundreds, if not thousands, of sentient life-forms. He opened his eyes and answered Mo'Ari's question. "Barely. The dark side covers more of this planet than the clouds do. However, I was able to sense a heavily populated area. I believe the Sith are there."

They retreated into the command salon, which was dominated by a large holomap of Dromund Kaas. Around the table stood the holograms of Kyle Katarn and Kenth Hamner, who were stationed on the other two Star Destroyers. The captains of each vessel were also present via hologram. Mo'Ari asked, "Where exactly did you sense the Sith?"

Luke closed his eyes and pointed at the map, allowing the Force to guide his finger. When his arm stopped moving, Luke said, "There. That's where I sensed them."

"How many are there?" asked Kyle.

"Hundreds, maybe thousands. It's hard to tell, and I don't even know if they are Sith. We could be in the wrong place."

"I'll take that chance."

Kenth cleared his throat and spoke up. "We all know the plan. Admiral Mo'Ari will command the space battle, the captains will command their own ships. And Masters Skywalker, Katarn, and I will monitor the ground assault through the Force. When we launch our dropships, they will each be escorted to the landing zone by a squadron of fighters. The electrical storm should prevent the ground scanners from picking us up. As soon as the fighters enter the atmosphere, the Sith will be on us."

Kyle added, "The electrical storm will make flying difficult, especially in the upper atmosphere. Radio communication will be useless, so the squad leaders will be on their own. And, of course, there is a danger of being struck by lightning. The key is to stay away from the clouds."

Mo'Ari scoffed. "That won't be easy; the planet's _covered_ in clouds."

Kyle pointed at a spot on the map that showed a large opening in the clouds. "This gap is our safest way in. It's forty, maybe fifty, clicks from the Sith base. That will give the Sith more than enough time to scramble whatever defenses they have. Given the unpredictability of the weather, that gap could close during the battle, and there may not be another gap anywhere nearby. If something goes wrong, we may not be able to withdraw our forces."

"Sith base or bust," one of the captains rephrased, unnecessarily.

Luke said, "Our first priority is the destruction of the Sith. The ground assault teams will storm the base and kill any Sith they find. Any enemy ships that attempt to take off will be destroyed by our fighters. If any of them get through, the Star Destroyers will take care of them. While we'd like to leave the base intact, if the squad leaders think that the base can't be taken, our fighters will bomb it. As a last resort, the Star Destroyers will fire at the planet, completely destroying the entire area."

"Without capital ships," surmised the second captain, "They don't pose a threat to us. There's no reason this could possibly go south."

"The Sith are deceptive. They could have hidden traps we don't know about."

Mo'Ari asked, "Any other questions?" When no one answered, he order, "Get the crews to their fighters. The attack is about to begin."

* * *

The main hanger bay of the _Reliant_ was bustling with activity. Ground crews were repairing and refueling the starfighters that littered the hanger. Most of them were updated models of ships that had been used to great effect in the Galactic Civil War. There were X-Wings with more streamlined bodies, Y-Wing bombers with new lightweight armor, and Alliance TIE Fighters with concave solar arrays to catch more sunlight. There were also fully-armed and armored stormtroopers and Jedi boarding Alliance dropships. Together, they comprised a nearly unstoppable force.

Ben Skywalker entered the hanger, wearing an orange-and-white jumpsuit characteristic of X-Wing pilots. He carried his flight helmet under his arm as he walked up to Jaina Solo's X-Wing. Jaina was about to climb the ladder into the cockpit when Ben saluted and said, "Rogue five, Ben Skywalker reporting for duty."

Jaina turned around and studied Ben. "You don't have to do that, you know."

Ben's arm returned to his side and he replied, "I know. I just wanted to do it."

"So, I see your dad agreed to let you fly with us. You know, with the electrical storms, just flying into the planet's atmosphere can be dangerous."

"I know how to fly. Besides, I've got the best pilot in the galaxy as my commander."

Jaina smiled. "You flatter me." She patted Ben on the shoulder and said, "Take care of yourself out there."

"I will."

Jaina continued climbing the ladder and Ben eagerly rushed to his own X-Wing. He hopped down into the cockpit and placed his helmet on his head. When the signal was given via headset, he closed the canopy and fired up the engines. He ran through the pre-flight checkout that his father had stressed to him so much about. Ben thought it was unnecessary, arguing that it was the ground crew's job to prepare his fighter, but Luke had insisted. When the checkout was complete, Ben was not surprised to find that everything was within normal levels. He wished that his dad would stop being so overprotective.

The flight controller announced, "All fighters are clear for takeoff. Repeat, all fighters are clear for takeoff." One by one, fighters rose from the deck and flew into space. Ships also emerged from the other Star Destroyers. In total, there were almost two hundred fighters and fifteen dropships. Each starfighter squadron was assigned to escort one dropship. Ben formed up with the rest of Rogue Squadron, led by Jaina.

A voice spoke over everyone's helmet comlinks. "This is Admiral Mo'Ari. As you know, once you enter the atmosphere, we will not be able to contact you. Your squadron leaders have been thoroughly briefed on the mission, so you must listen to them. The Jedi Masters on the cruisers will be monitoring the battle through the Force, and may send instructions to the Jedi in your groups. Other than that, you're on your own. May the Force be with you." With that, Mo'Ari's voice cut out.

On the channel reserved for Rogue Squadron, Jaina said, "All wings, follow my lead. We're going through that hole in the clouds. When we're in the atmosphere, stay away from the clouds. Do not deviate from the flight plan. Our mission is to make sure the dropship lands safely. Do you copy?"

Ben clicked his headset twice to affirm his understanding. The other pilots did the same. Through the transparisteel cockpit canopy, Ben spotted Jaina's X-Wing flying toward the hole. The other squadrons reached the hole at the same time, and the ships filed through, two or three at a time. Once they were in the atmosphere, the squadrons re-formed. All of the pilots were treated to their first clear look at Dromund Kaas' landscape.

Well, it was relatively clear. Instead of clouds obstructing their view, it was pouring rain. The only light came from the constant flashes of lightning, creating a strobe effect in the darkness. The ships had to fly at a low altitude to avoid being struck. Thousands of tall trees, half of them dead or dying, passed quickly beneath Ben's X-Wing. Ahead was nothing but swampland as far as the eye could see.

Jaina said, "If Master Skywalker is correct, we should be seeing the Sith base in just a few seconds."

By the time Ben had silently counted to five, he could see what they were talking about. Except… "That doesn't look like a Sith base." He supposed it was possible that a Sith base would consist of a dozen wooden buildings large enough to house a hundred people maximum, some smaller metal buildings, and no visible defense systems, but it was unlikely.

Over his comlink, Ben could hear other pilots voicing similar concerns. They were interrupted by a man's voice cutting into the com system. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Kyp Durron's voice, on an open frequency, replied, "Give me your name, and I'll give you mine." Ben expected the mystery man to make a snarky comeback without answering the question.

Surprisingly, he did not. "My name Vonar Dykes, the governor of this colony."

After a few seconds, Kyp said, "I'm Kyp Durron, Jedi Master. I wasn't aware that there was a colony here."

Dykes explained, "We colonized this planet long ago to escape the Yuuzhan Vong. We have been self-sustaining for fifteen years, and no one has ever bothered us. That is, until you came along with enough ships to blow us to pieces!"

"Governor, this is all just a misunderstanding. We didn't know you were here; we have intelligence that there are Sith here."

"Sith? There haven't been any Sith on this planet in a thousand years! We are innocent people who just want peace. So, if you'll kindly turn around and leave this planet, we would very much appreciate it."

Ben was confused. His dad had told him that the Sith were there, yet, all they had found was some colony. Where were the Sith?

* * *

Back on the _Reliant_ , Luke told Mo'Ari, "Something's not right." Through the Force, he could feel the confusion of the pilots, the anger of Governor Dykes, and the fear of hundreds of people. "We've made a mistake. This is a colony of refugees."

Mo'Ari frowned in confusion. "A refugee colony? Are you sure?"

"There are hundreds of innocent people down there afraid that we're going to hurt them. We have to call off the attack, now!"

"Well, where are the Sith?"

"Not here, apparently. I'm bringing our ships back." Luke could sense Kyle and Kenth agreeing with him. All three masters sent the Jedi pilots a mental image of the ships returning to the Star Destroyers, accompanied by a feeling of urgency.

* * *

Kyp said, "We're so sorry, Governor. We'll leave right now."

"Thank you," replied Dykes.

A few seconds later, Jaina spoke to the pilots of Rogue Squadron. "All ships, turn around. Make for the gap and return to the _Reliant_." There was no mistaking the disappointment in her voice. Ben was disappointed, too. He had insisted on coming, against his father's wishes, so he could fight the Sith, and there were none. It had all been a waste of time! Luke was probably going to use this incident as some kind of lesson. Ben groaned at the thought of the lecture he was in for.

Suddenly, there was a flash of white light, and Ben's X-Wing burst into flames. Alarms blared, announcing his imminent destruction. He swore under his breath and yelled into the comlink, "This is Rogue Five. I'm hit! I'm hit!" The fighter took a sharp dive, and the throttle was rendered ineffective. "I'm going down!" As the ground approached quickly, Ben was suddenly filled with fear. In a single second, his life flashed before his eyes. And then, there was nothing.

* * *

Luke clutched his heart and stumbled to the floor, drawing the attention of everyone on the bridge of the _Reliant_. He felt as though an enormous void had just opened up inside him, sucking in all of his senses. Sight, sound, and feeling were replaced by dizziness and confusion. He did not know where he was or what he was doing; all he knew was that something important had been ripped from him.

"Ben…"

The disorientation lasted for what seemed like hours. But then, he sights and sounds of the bridge returned to him, and he realized that it had only been a few seconds. Admiral Mo'Ari was leaning over the holomap, shouting something indistinct at the holograms of Kyle and Kenth. As Luke struggled to his feet, Mo'Ari hurried over to help him up. "Cancel that. He's coming around now."

Luke planted his palms on the console, panting heavily. Voice shaking, he asked, "What's happening?"

Kyle answered, "We don't know. Master Hamner and I just sensed maybe a dozen or so pilots dying. I'm guessing you did, too."

Luke tried to remember what had happened right before his spell. "Ben. I can't sense him in the Force."

The other masters exchanged worried glances. Kenth pointed out, "He could just be masking his Force presence. If I recall correctly, Jacen taught him how to do that."

Luke shook his head. "This was different. Right before he disappeared, I sensed… pain. Excruciating pain. I haven't felt anything like that since…" he trailed off as the end of the sentence sunk in. Not since Caedus killed Mara.

An officer announced, "Admiral, we have them back on our sensors!" Everyone focused their attention on the holomap. Triangular blips were quickly appearing from the hole in the clouds, indicating ships returning to the Star Destroyers. Once they were all through, the officer looked at the blip count. "Sir, we have fourteen ships unaccounted for."

Luke's heart sunk. His worst fears may have just been confirmed. Mo'Ari opened a com and asked, "Report. What happened out there?"

Kyp's panicked voice replied, "I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. We were on our way to the exit point when a bunch of our ships just exploded. It looked like they had been struck by lightning."

Kyle said, "We warned you to stay away from the clouds!"

"We weren't anywhere near the clouds! I can't explain how it happened; it just did!"

Luke cut in, "What about Ben? Where is he?"

For a moment, no one spoke. Then, Jaina's voice came softly, "Uncle Luke, I – I'm sorry. We lost Ben. Rogue Eight saw his ship burst into flames."

Another wave of disorientation washed over Luke. _Ben is dead._ That single realization overpowered every other part of Luke's consciousness. _Ben is dead._ It grew bigger, louder, angrier. _Ben is dead. Ben is dead! BEN IS DEAD!_

Luke became aware that everyone on the bridge was staring at him blank-eyed and open-mouthed. He summoned up the last bit of composure he had left and said, "Get us back to Coruscant. We're done here." He then headed for the nearest turbolift, walking as fast as he could without running. He did not want everyone to see him break down in the middle of the bridge. As soon as he was inside, he slammed the button leading to his quarters and waited for the doors to shut.

As the elevator descended, Luke started to cry. His son was dead, and it was Luke's fault. He had brought the fleet to the wrong planet and allowed Ben to come along against his better judgment. He could have prevented this from happening. He had failed the Alliance. He had failed Ben. And above all, he had failed Mara.

Luke quickly composed himself as the turbolift slowed to a stop. When the doors slid open, two officers were standing outside waiting to get on. Seeing Luke, their eyes widened in surprise and they backed away from the door, allowing Luke to step off first. He did his best to maintain a straight face as he strode to his quarters, not meeting anyone's eyes. He could tell that they were all looking at him with pity. He wanted to yell at them, ordering them to stop, but he knew that it would not do him any good to get angry.

When he entered his quarters, he locked the door and lay down on the bunk. The tears he had wanted to shed in the corridor had built up in his eyes, and now they poured out freely. The door buzzed, but Luke ignored it. He wanted to be alone. The door buzzed again, accompanied by a call. "Uncle Luke? Please let me in." Luke almost yelled for Jaina to go away, but he figured that she was upset, too. She probably just wanted them to comfort each other. Luke stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes, and went to open the door.

Jaina had taken off her pilot's jumpsuit, leaving her in a black undershirt and pants. Judging by how red her eyes were, Luke guessed that she needed a good cry, too. He motioned her in and, once she was inside, locked the door again. The instant after he did so, Jaina flung her arms around Luke and began to sob. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Luke squeezed her tightly and shushed comfortingly. "It's not your fault." He thought to himself, _It's mine. And now, Ben is dead._

* * *

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Fire and water; the last things Ben Skywalker saw before he lost consciousness, and the first after he regained it. When he opened his eyes, rain was pouring onto to visor of his flight helmet and flowing past his cheeks. Every part of his body ached, from head to toe. With a groan, he planted both hands in the ground and tried to push himself up. As he did so, a bolt of pain shot through his left arm, causing him to scream. He pushed himself up again, only using his right arm.

Ben was sitting on a patch of grass and mud surrounded by dead trees with broken branches. He was still wearing his flight helmet and jumpsuit, which had turned from orange to charred black. His left shoulder was dislocated. He stood up and walked to the nearest tree. After silently counting to three, he banged his shoulder against the tree as hard as he could, screaming as his shoulder popped back into place.

After the pain had subsided, Ben took a longer look at his surroundings. He was at the edge of a jungle on Dromund Kaas. It was dark and raining, with flashes of lightning every other second. In the trees above him, Ben saw the chair from his X-Wing connected to a parachute. The restraints were torn and the parachute was burnt with a gaping tear. Beyond the trees was his X-Wing – what was left of it, at least. It, too, had been completely burnt, leaving nothing but a charred metal skeleton.

Ben tried to think back to his last memories. What exactly had happened? He remembered the ground approaching quickly, and the fire, but how did he end up in the jungle? Then, he remembered ejecting himself from the ship's cockpit at the last minute. But then his parachute was struck by lightning and caught fire. As he was falling, the fire was spreading down the cables toward the chair. Without thinking, Ben undid the restraints and let himself fall. That was when he blacked out. The trees must have broken his fall.

Ben ran back to the wreckage of the X-Wing, hoping to salvage anything that could aid in his survival and rescue. Unfortunately, everything was burnt or melted, including his lightsaber. He cursed himself for leaving it in the cargo compartment. He could just imagine what his dad would say when he found out…

Then it occurred to Ben that the fleet was nowhere in sight. He reached out with the Force to try and sense them, but he was unsuccessful. They must have left when they found out that the supposed Sith base was actually a refugee colony. Ben must have been presumed dead, so they left without him. And because Dromund Kaas was such an isolated planet, there was almost no chance that anyone would happen by and rescue him. He was stranded, and without any weapons or survival gear.

Ben took off his burned jumpsuit, leaving him in an undershirt and pants. It was not as warm, but the smell was not nearly as bad. Ben decided that his best chance of survival would be to go back to the colony and ask for their help. Judging by how the governor had sounded over the comm, he would not receive a warm welcome. But, he figured, they could not turn away someone in need.

Even though it was dark, Ben could still find his way to the colony. He walked toward the column of smoke illuminated by the lightning. Rain continued to pour down, leaving him wet and cold. His shoes sank in the mud as he walked, sometimes causing him to trip and fall. Pretty soon, his entire body was covered in grass and mud. It did not matter much, however, as the rain washed most of it off.

On his way to the colony, Ben spotted another crashed X-Wing, and decided to see if any of its supplies were still intact. Unfortunately, it was in worse shape than his own X-Wing. In fact, the pilot's corpse was still in the cockpit, burned beyond recognition. The sight nearly made Ben sick.

By the time Ben reached the colony, the sun had risen, although it was blocked by the clouds. Still, it was not as dark, and the rain had subsided, which allowed him to see better. The colony was surrounded by a five-meter-high metal wall with two doors set into it. Ben wondered who they were trying to keep out. He had not seen any wild animals or other people on his trek. Perhaps they were trying to keep the colonists in.

"PRISONER ESCAPE! PRISONER ESCAPE!" Immediately after the gruff voice raised the alarm, two bright spotlights were turned on and shone in Ben's direction. He shielded his eyes with his arm and heard the doors open. What was going on? He was not a prisoner, and he had not escaped. Someone obviously thought otherwise, as Ben heard the squelching of multiple footsteps running in his direction through the mud. When the lights moved, Ben was shocked by what he saw.

He was surrounded by four aliens pointing blasters at him. They were all humanoid, with skin colors ranging from dark red to pink, and hair colored black or brown. Two long tendrils hung from their high cheekbones, and bone spurs protruded from beneath their skin at various locations. They also had cranial horns, pointed teeth, yellow eyes, and three clawed digits on each hand. Judging by the way they held their weapons, they were all left-handed. What was most surprising to Ben was how strongly they radiated the dark side of the Force.

Ben had never seen this species in real life, but he had seen old illustrations and holograms of them. They were Sith. More precisely, the ancient Sith species believed to have been extinct for over a thousand years. Ben realized that the Jedi's intelligence about the Sith being on Dromund Kaas was correct. This was not a refugee colony; the governor, Vonar Dykes, was probably not even a real person. The Sith had tricked the Alliance fleet away! And now, Ben was their prisoner.

One of the Sith stalked towards Ben. "You thought you could escape, did you? Where did you think you were going?" Before Ben could answer, the Sith grabbed him by the shirt collar and led him through the doors. Ben could have told them that he was not a prisoner, and that his ship had crashed, but the Sith were likely to take him prisoner anyway. If they found out he was a Jedi, they would probably kill him. Ben decided that the safest course of action was to play along for the time being. As he was being led through the Sith base, Ben took in his surroundings.

The base was the size of a small town, approximately two square kilometers enclosed within the walls. Two rows of long, windowless, wooden shacks formed the perimeter, while metal buildings occupied the center of the base. One such building was a tower that overlooked the entire compound. Most of the buildings had large chimneys with thick smoke rising out of them. As the Sith brought him to the other side of the base, Ben saw that there was no back wall; a fast-moving river served as the rear barrier. Everywhere he looked, there were Sith of various colors, ages, and genders. But there were not enough to populate the entire base.

An alarm sounded throughout the base. Ben's first thought was that perhaps the Alliance fleet had come back and were about to attack the base. As soon as the alarm sounded, Sith went to the shacks, opened the doors, and started yelling. He could hear one of them say, "Get up, all of you! There's work to be done! Come on!" A moment later, people began to walk out of the shacks. But they were not Sith. Most of them were humans, but there were several other species as well. There were men, women, and children among them, all wet, dirty, and wearing tattered clothing.

Over the PA system, a voice said, "All laborers, report to the assembly square at once!" The Sith who had captured Ben led him to a large clearing between the buildings and the river. They dragged him onto a raised platform and tied his hands around a post in the center. For a while, nothing happened, as all of the people were being herded into the square. Ben tried to count them, but they came too fast. First, he estimated fifty… then a hundred… then two hundred. By the time people had stopped coming, Ben was looking out over a sea consisting of over a thousand sad faces.

Questions flooded his mind. Who were these people? Were they prisoners, too? Why did the Sith need so many of them? Ben thought back to his knowledge of the ancient Sith. Their empire had been built using slave labor. The only logical conclusion was that the New Sith were doing the same thing. They had taken innocent people from their homes and were using them to build their army.

After everyone had been gathered, a muscular Sith male with cropped black hair stepped up onto the platform and stood in front of Ben. "Earlier this morning, our guards caught this prisoner trying to escape!" He grabbed Ben's hair and pulled so that his face was in plain view. Ben yelled in pain and struggled to free himself, but the Sith maintained a firm grip. He continued, "I thought we made ourselves clear; you do your work and stay in line, and we will treat you well. Failure to do so results in punishment!"

The Sith leader reached out and took a metal cylinder from another guard's hand. At first, Ben was afraid that it was a lightsaber, and that he was about to be executed. But then, a long, flexible cord extended from the handle. At the press of a button, the cord glowed yellow with heat and bolts of electricity danced along it. It was an electrowhip. Almost before Ben could register the weapon, two Sith pulled his shirt up over his head, exposing his bare back to the leader. And then he swung.

The pain was excruciating. Not only did the whip shock Ben with electricity, it left a burning welt across his back. He tried to endure the pain, but a scream still managed to escape his lips. A second later, the whip hit him again, harder and faster this time. And then again, and again, and again. Ben screamed with each crack of the whip. When he caught glimpses of the prisoners, they were trying to look away from him, or covering their children's eyes. There were ten lashes total, and then they stopped.

Ben could still feel occasional flashes of sharp pain as though the whipping had continued. But, now, there was constant stinging as rain trickled over his welts. One of the Sith untied his hands, pulled him up by the hair, and then threw him off the platform. He landed face-first in the mud.

The Sith leader exclaimed, "Let that be a lesson for all of you! Don't you dare try to escape! Don't you dare shirk your duties! Don't you dare defy the Sith! Now, get back to work before we punish you all!" Everyone immediately hurried off in different directions.

Ben struggled to stand up, moaning all the while. Every slight movement in his back was accompanied by pain. All of the slaves seemed to have a job. If Ben was going to keep a low profile, he would have to find a job, too. He decided to head off in a random direction and take whatever job he arrived at.

As soon as Ben started hobbling forward, the Sith leader grabbed him by the hair – again – and yelled, "Oh, no you don't! You're going to the kitchens!" The next thing Ben knew, he was being half-led, half-dragged, into one of the large metal buildings. He then found himself in an ugly, filthy room with a pair of 2-meter-tall steel vats sitting side-by-side over a giant metal grate. Above each vat was a hose. The Sith ordered, "You're gonna scrub those pots inside and out until they shine. After that, you can start cooking tonight's dinner. And you'd better do it right!" With that, he left.

Ben had no idea how he was supposed to clean the vats. There was a rolling stepladder and a cabinet containing rags, soap, and old, sharp pieces of metal. He pushed the ladder up to the first vat, climbed up gingerly – as his back was still sore – and looked inside. The bottom and sides of the vat were covered with some kind of dried, foul-smelling, pink sauce He realized that the metal was to scrape off the dried sauce. He went to the cabinet and gathered his cleaning supplies. There were no gloves, aprons, or hair nets that one might find in a kitchen, so he did without, hoping he did not carry any harmful germs.

Ben decided to try and use the overhead hose to spray the inside of the vat and loosen the dried sauce. Unfortunately, the water pressure was poor, and the water merely pooled at the bottom of the vat. Perhaps he could pour the soap into the water and use it to scrub the vat. But how was he supposed to reach the bottom? Then he noticed that there were rungs on the inside of the vat. He was supposed to climb into it. Dreading the task before him, Ben removed his boots and socks, leaving them at the base of the ladder before climbing into the giant cooking pot.

As he stood ankle-deep in soapy water, Ben scrubbed and scraped and scrubbed again until he exposed patches of steel amidst the dried sauce. The constant back-and-forth motion of his arms, coupled with the strain of kneeling for minutes on end, left his entire body screaming in pain. After over two hours, the vat was finally spotless. Yet, Ben was standing in a pool of soapy, pink liquid, and he did not know how to get it out of the vat.

Then, he remembered constantly stepping on something in the center of the base. Reaching into the liquid, he realized that it was a drain plug. He pulled it, and watched the liquid go down the drain. But there was still sauce left from below the water level. Ben was forced to spend another several minutes scrubbing and scraping that, too. When he was finally done, he climbed out of the vat and sprayed it down with the hose. There was a brief moment of triumph for Ben, knowing that he had accomplished such a difficult task. The moment ended, however, when he remembered that there was another vat that was just as dirty as the first.

It took another three hours to wash the second vat. By the time he was finished, every muscle in Ben's body ached. He wanted desperately to lie down and try to sleep it off, but he knew that he had another job to do. He had to cook dinner. What exactly was he supposed to cook? And how many people was he supposed to feed?

A few minutes later, a Sith came in, followed by five slaves and another Sith. He barked, "Straight line!" and the slaves stood side-by-side next to Ben. The Sith walked down the line, telling each person what their job would be. "Vat one! Vat two! Bread! Vegetables! Fruit! Meat!" That last job was Ben's.

But he did not know what to do. He was afraid to ask, for fear of another punishment. He noticed that all of the slaves were heading through a door off of the kitchen, and decided to follow them. The door led to a pantry filled with crates of milk, loaves of stale bread, tropical fruits that were past ripe, root vegetables still covered in dirt, and huge animal carcasses dripping blood. Each slave picked up the crate corresponding to their job and carried it out into the kitchen. Ben picked up a carcass, not caring that he was covered in blood.

He set the carcass down on a table, unsure of what to do next. Looking around, he saw the vat operators pour entire jugs of milk into the vats. Everyone else was using a knife to cut up whatever food they were working with. That was when Ben noticed that there was a carving knife on his table. His first thought was that there were only two guards. He could easily overpower them. But what would he do then? Even if he escaped the compound, where could he go?

Ben resigned himself to carrying out his disgusting task. He picked up the knife and was about to make the first cut when he realized that he did not know how to carve an animal carcass. Was he supposed to cut off long strips? Was he supposed to make multiple vertical cuts? What should he do with the bones?

"It really doesn't matter," said a smooth, soft voice. Ben turned towards the speaker and saw that it was the young human woman next to him, cutting fruit. She explained, "Just dice them into pieces the size of your thumb. Don't worry about bones; everyone will just pick them out of their stew. Put the chunks in the crates, wash them with the hose, and give them to the ones stirring the pots."

"Thank you." Finally, Ben had met someone friendly in this place. He started carving long strips of meat from the carcass and laid them on the table. Then, he cut the meat into cubes, which he then tossed into the crate. When the crate was full, he sprayed the meat with an overhead hose until the water seeping from the holes was mostly clear. Then he carried the crate over to one of the slaves on the stepladders, who dumped the meat into the milk and stirred it with a giant paddle. When that was done, he retrieved another carcass from the pantry and repeated the process.

Once Ben had found his rhythm, he turned to look at the woman who had helped him. Beneath the sweat and dirt, Ben could tell that she was just below average height, had olive skin and golden-brown hair, and appeared to be eighteen years old. She was barefoot and wore a faded green nightgown with several tears in it. He asked, "How did you know I needed help?"

She answered, "The way you were hesitating with your knife. I could tell you were confused. You must be new here."

Ben nodded his head. "Yeah it, uh, it might as will be my first day. How long have you been here?"

The girl glanced over her shoulder at one of the guards and said, "It's not safe to talk here. You can come back with me to my hut after dinner."

"I'd like that." Ben looked forward to having someone to talk to. It would make his stay less lonely. "What's your name?"

"Nysilla Zabeth. Yours?"

"Ben." He suddenly realized that it might be dangerous to reveal his last name. Skywalker was a well-known surname, so he quickly came up with a fake name. "Lars. Ben Lars." It was not very creative, but it would do. If he was going to survive in this slave camp, he would have to maintain a deep cover. He had no idea how long he would be there.

* * *

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Luke Skywalker was silent during the shuttle ride. The other Jedi Masters were just as quiet. Beyond offering Luke their condolences, there was nothing any of them could do for him. He appreciated the space they were giving him. All he wanted was time to process his loss. Still, the ride was very uncomfortable.

When the shuttle flew under the shadow of the Jedi Temple, Luke broke away from his trance and looked through the viewport. As the landing pad approached, he saw that it was populated by the remaining masters, several knights, and the Solo family. No doubt they all wanted to offer their condolences, just like everyone else on the _Reliant._ Even though he wanted nothing more than to retreat to his quarters and sit in isolation, he decided to indulge them. After all, many of the Jedi had been friends with Ben.

After the shuttle had landed, the Jedi Masters were the first to descend the boarding ramp. Soon, Luke was the last person on board. He took a moment to prepare himself; he did not want to appear weak or emotional in front of everyone. Once he felt thoroughly composed, he walked down the ramp. Sure enough, everyone's eyes immediately trained themselves on him. Thankfully, that was all they did. No one moved or spoke as Luke strode towards them.

Ahsoka Tano was the first to move. She wrapped her arms around Luke and whispered, "If there's anything I can do for you…"

Luke replied, "I'll let you know. Right now, I just need some space. In the meantime, could you…?"

Ahsoka released Luke and nodded. "I can take care of everything. Take as much time as you need."

As Luke passed the other Jedi, they bowed their heads respectfully. He noticed that Jaina had taken her place with a group of knights she had trained with. Tesar Sebatyne, being a Barabel, did not fully grasp the concept of grieving, yet he knew enough to be silent. Lowbacca the Wookiee moaned softly. Zekk's face was difficult to read, due to the damage he had sustained on Mustafar, but Luke could guess that he was trying to appear mournful.

When Luke's eyes met Tahiri Veila's, she quickly averted her gaze. But, in that brief glimpse, Luke could see that she was in more pain than any of them. He surmised that she had been reminded too much of Anakin Solo's death. That was understandable. Ben had been like Anakin in so many ways, and losing him was just as painful. The difference was, Tahiri had been in love with Anakin, not Ben. And Ben, not Anakin, had been Luke's son.

Finally, Luke arrived at the Solos, who took turns hugging him. Han's smuggler charm had been replaced by stiff movements and a pale face, as though he had suddenly aged ten years. Leia's eyes were swollen, as though she had recently had a good, long cry. Allana was choking back tears, trying to be strong and brave in the face of tragedy. R2-D2 emitted a long, low whine, and C-3PO, who could rarely stop talking, had fallen silent.

Everyone watched silently as Luke walked past them into the temple, and toward his quarters. When he entered the room, he was struck by how empty it now felt.

* * *

Ahsoka looked around at the eight other Jedi Council members present. They all sat in a circle to symbolize their equality, even though it was well known that she and Luke were the most senior members. Luke's chair was directly opposite to the chamber doors. That being said, it was hard not to notice that it was the only empty one.

She cleared her throat and said, "In Master Skywalker's absence, he has named me Acting Grand Master." It did not feel that unusual to her. For twenty years, she had been the one who led the council meetings, with Luke as her senior advisor. After the Yuuzhan Vong War, they decided to reverse their roles, although Ahsoka still took charge whenever Luke was away on assignment. She continued, "I would like to begin these proceedings by discussing exactly what happened on Dromund Kaas. Master Katarn, would you like to start?"

Kyle Katarn answered, "Certainly. We arrived at Dromund Kaas and launched our fighters as planned. Due to the electrical activity in the atmosphere, radio communication between the fighters and the cruisers was impossible, so we were forced to rely on the Force for communication. Masters Skywalker, Hamner, and I were monitoring the battle from the Star Destroyers, while Masters Durron and Ramis led the fighter squadrons. Masters Sebatyne and Horn were part of the ground forces in the landing ships. Things were going quietly until we sensed confusion from everyone."

Kyp Durron explained, "When we reached what we believed was the Sith base, we noticed that it didn't actually _look_ like a Sith base. It was just a bunch of long, wooden shacks and a few metal buildings surrounded by a wall. We were contacted by a man who called himself Governor Vonar Dykes. He told us that they were a refugee colony from the Yuuzhan Vong War. According to him, there were no Sith on the planet, and no one has bothered them until now."

Kyle picked up, "We sensed all of this from the Star Destroyers and ordered a retreat. That was followed by panic, and Master Skywalker nearly collapsed. He said that he couldn't sense Ben anymore. At the same time, we could sense that we were losing people."

"How were your ships being destroyed?" asked Cilghal.

Kyp shrugged. "Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that out. On our way back to the Star Destroyers, a bunch of our ships were struck by lightning, including Ben's. We told our pilots to stay away from the clouds. I guess some of them got careless."

Octa Ramis interrupted, "That's not true. We were nowhere near the clouds when the lightning struck."

"Then how do you explain what happened?" Kyp asked with rising frustration. "Did the lightning just decide to follow us beyond its range?"

Ahsoka held up a hand to calm him down. "There's no need for that, Master Durron. We will research some possibilities, see if they can shed any light on this problem. Right now, we need to focus on why we didn't find any Sith. Are you sure you were in the right place? Was there another place we could have looked?"

Kenth Hamner answered, "We didn't think there was any need. The colony was the only place we sensed where there were thousands of life-forms. Nowhere else came close to that."

Leia suggested, "Maybe the Sith were masking their presence somehow."

Ahsoka shook her head. "I don't see how that's possible. The only way we could have missed hundreds of people is if they all masked themselves. And not very many Force-users know how to do that."

Corran Horn pointed out, "Caedus did, and we know he taught Ben how to do it. Maybe he taught the Sith assassins, too."

Saba Sebatyne hissed, "This one thinks we should go back to Dromund Kaasz. Let us dig up every hole until the Sith come crawling out."

Cilghal rotated her body back and forth, the Mon Calamari equivalent of shaking her head. "It would take too long to thoroughly search the entire planet. If the Sith notice, they would either hide themselves better, flee to another location, or attack us when we are unprepared."

Leia made another suggestion. "Is it possible that the refugee colony actually _was_ the Sith base? They could have been deceiving us."

Kyp replied, "If it was a Sith base, it was a very pitiful one. I highly doubt that the Sith would build a base with no defenses."

Kyle pointed out, "And we could sense the colonists' fear. That's not the kind of thing I would expect from a Sith."

Saba protested, "The Sith are masters of deception! This one insists that we go back!"

Kenth said, "I won't send anyone back there until we figure out what happened to our fighters. Besides, has it occurred to anyone else that the Sith may no longer be on Dromund Kaas? Perhaps some time since Sol Fadré was recruited, the Sith moved their base."

Everyone was silent as they considered that possibility. The Jedi could have been acting on outdated information. If that was the case, then they had no idea where to find the Sith, and the mission to Dromund Kaas had been for nothing.

At that moment, the chamber's comm system began to chime, indicating that someone was making contact with them. Ahsoka waved her hand and a hologram sprung up in the center of the room. The man's uniform identified him as an Alliance officer working in the Senate Building. "Pardon the interruption, Master Jedi. Chancellor Dain has requested that Master Skywalker meet him in his office as soon as possible."

All of the masters exchanged uncomfortable glances. There was only one reason why Don Dain would want a meeting at that moment. He must have found out about the Jedi's failed campaign on Dromund Kaas. No doubt he would use this incident to hurt the Jedi.

Ahsoka replied, "Tell the Chancellor that Master Skywalker is currently unavailable. I will attend in his stead."

"Very well, Master Tano. I will let him know." With that, the hologram disappeared, and the council was alone again.

Kyp was the first to express his frustration. "As if this day couldn't get any worse."

Kenth suggested, "Perhaps now is the time to tell the Chancellor everything. If we convince him of the threat, perhaps he will provide us with enough resources to find the Sith."

Everyone gave him incredulous looks. Leia said, "You know we can't do that. Dain already distrusts the Jedi. If we tell him that we've been keeping such large secrets from him, he'll use this to turn the Alliance against us. We're in a tight spot, politically. I suggest we proceed with caution."

Ahsoka agreed. "I'll tell him we were following a lead to the three Sith clones. He can't object to us wanting to catch the assassins from his inauguration. He still doesn't know about the Sith orb, Master Elppirc, or Master Fadré. I intend to keep it that way."

* * *

When Ahsoka arrived at Don Dain's office, the secretary told her that he was in another meeting, and that she should sit down and wait. She did… for what seemed like an hour. Why would the Chancellor request an immediate meeting, and then meet with someone else? When she was finally called into the office, she saw why. Don Dain was sitting at his desk, and his son, Commander Mek Dain, was standing across from him.

Ahsoka suppressed an urge to groan. Mek reminded Ahsoka of his father when he was younger. Back when Don was a commander in the Rebel Alliance, he openly disliked Luke and Ahsoka, and tried to convince everyone around him not to trust them. As he aged, he grew subtler to the point of feigning disinterest. But then Mek came along and turned out to be as vocal as his father had once been. She could handle one Dain on his own, but two of them was a different story.

Don noticed Ahsoka and stood up, using his cane to support himself. "Master Tano, thank you for coming. Please, sit down." Mek went to stand next to his father, and Ahsoka filled his recently-vacated seat. After Don had sat down, he got right to the point. "I heard that there was an incident on Dromund Kaas. Would you care to explain?"

Ahsoka had spent the past hour rehearsing in her head. With any luck, she should be able to shake Don off of the Jedi's tails. "Yes, we were following a lead regarding the assassins at your inauguration. Unfortunately the lead proved to be false, and a tragic accident cost us many lives… including Ben Skywalker's."

If the aged Gran's face was expressing sympathy, Ahsoka could not tell. Still, Don said, "I am very sorry to hear that. Please give Master Skywalker my condolences."

"I'm sure he will appreciate it." Ahsoka wondered how sincere he was actually being.

"There is a much more serious matter we must discuss. You took three Star Destroyers, fully complemented, and brought them to attack a planet without my knowledge or approval."

Without missing a beat, Ahsoka explained, "We wanted to tell you, but we felt that we needed to act quickly to catch the assassins. Going through you would've taken too much time. That's why we asked Admiral Mo'Ari to help us. I hope you can understand, Your Excellency."

Mek replied before his father could. "No, we do not understand. You circumvented military protocol and nearly caused a diplomatic incident! Why do you Jedi insist on breaking the rules? Perhaps you feel they don't apply to you?"

Ahsoka frowned. "That's not true. The Jedi Council agreed that timing was too important to waste on your protocol, so we took a more direct approach."

"Yes, you made Admiral Mo'Ari break protocol so you would appear blameless!"

Ahsoka stood up and said, "Actually, Admiral Mo'Ari was well within his rights to lend us his fleet. I'm not an expert on military protocol, but I do believe it says something along these lines: 'If an admiral determines that immediate military action is necessary, he may forgo the chain of command and dedicate any resources at his disposal to the situation.'"

Don nodded his head. "That is true. Which is why no disciplinary action will be taken against him. However, it turned out that military action was _not_ required on Dromund Kaas. He should not have acted until he was certain that there was a threat. He will be placed under probation for six months to ensure that he does not make that same mistake again."

Ahsoka wanted to protest. Mo'Ari should not have been punished for the Jedi's actions. On the other hand, probation was not so bad; he would still be able to act as an admiral, so long as he followed procedure.

Don intertwined his fingers and leaned forward in his chair. "If I may ask, what exactly led you to believe that the Sith were on Dromund Kaas?"

Ahsoka had expected that question. It had taken a while, but she had already come up with an acceptable answer. "After the inauguration, the Jedi have been working tirelessly to discover any information we can on the assassins. Recently, we uncovered an old transmission between one of the assassins and a spy within the Galactic Alliance Guard. They mentioned that their base was on Dromund Kaas."

If Don had eyebrows, he would have raised them. "The GAG was dissolved after Jacen Solo's death. Are you saying that the assassins have been active since before then?"

 _That_ Ahsoka had not expected. Quickly she came up with an answer. "It would appear that way, but we haven't found any records of them actually doing anything until the inauguration."

"Ah, I see." Clearly, he was not convinced. "May I see this transmission?"

Once again, Ahsoka was at a loss for words. She could not show Don the transmission without revealing Sol Fadré's treachery. That would only lead to more questions, and then the entire story would unravel. "Unfortunately, you can't. The spy deleted the message and covered his tracks well. The transmission was so degraded that we were barely able to get any information from it." That was a terrible excuse, Ahsoka knew, but she had to say something to ward off suspicion. Clearly, that did not work.

Mek observed, "And yet you recovered enough information to tell you what you needed to know. What a coincidence." His three eyelids narrowed and his eyestalks leaned forward so that he was glaring at Ahsoka. In turn, she gave him a cold stare.

Don stood up. "Thank you for clearing this up for me, Master Tano. In the future, you should follow protocol so we can avoid more of these meetings."

Ahsoka stood up and shook Don's hand. "Of course, Chancellor. Thank you for your… understanding." She gave Mek a curt nod before leaving the office.

On the flight back to the Jedi Temple, all Ahsoka could think about was how badly that meeting went. All she had done was raise the Dains' suspicions. She knew that their retaliation would come soon.

* * *

As soon as Ahsoka was gone, Mek wasted no time in spewing out all of his comments. "This is getting out of hand, Father! The Jedi are keeping too many secrets! First, the assassins at the inauguration being able to use the Force, and the Jedi's inability to deal with them. They probably staged the whole thing to make us afraid! And then, they ask you for ships to find an artifact on Kamino, yet they don't tell you what the artifact is, or why they want it. Then, your bodyguard, Sol Fadré dies, and the Jedi don't give us any details. And now, they break the rules to attack a planet! It's obvious that they're trying to take over the Alliance! Why don't we act?"

Don raised a calming hand. "There could be any number of logical explanations for their behavior. We can't make a move against the Jedi without sufficient evidence. We need the support of the people, so we need to convince them that destroying the Jedi is justified."

"How do you plan to do that? The people think the Jedi are saints! Besides, the Jedi will be extra careful not to tip us off. We'll never find proof." Mek leaned in toward his father. "Let me deal with the Jedi. If I come under fire for it, I can claim that I acted on my own. You would not be implicated. I can get you your revenge!"

"As noble as that sounds, I'm not willing to risk you just to satisfy an old grudge." Don sat back in his chair and thought. Slowly, he began to smile as an idea came to him. "I may know of a way to get information without the Jedi knowing. I have an old… acquaintance… who has demonstrated the abilities necessary in an effective spy."

"Can you trust him?"

Don scoffed. "About as well as you can trust any bounty hunter. But I know he can keep a secret. In fact, he is the only person alive – besides you – who knows what I used to be."

* * *

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Darth Hatus was sitting in his office on Korriban, accompanied by Darths Sinestro, Volatis, and Masculous. Moff Hyke was there as well. They were in the middle of a meeting when Hatus received a transmission. The holoprojector on his desk displayed the Sith foreman at their Dromund Kaas facility.

Hatus leaned forward in his chair and said, "General Dykes, I don't recall scheduling a meeting with you."

The Sith bowed respectfully. "Forgive me, Lord Hatus. I just wanted you to know that an Alliance fleet came to Dromund Kaas."

Hatus' eyes widened in surprise. "So soon? I knew the Jedi would find us eventually, but…" He trailed off his sentence and asked, "Did you take care of them?"

"Yes, my lord. I told them we were a refugee colony, just as you instructed. They turned away and left without attacking. We also used the lightning cannons to destroy some of their ships. They work perfectly."

"Do the Jedi suspect anything?"

Dykes shook his head. "I don't think so, sir. They seemed to believe the story."

Hatus breathed a sigh of relief. "Excellent work, General. Should the Jedi return, give them the same story. While I have you, how are things at the base?"

"Things are going smoothly. We have well over one thousand slaves, each performing well."

Hatus frowned. "I can sense when you're lying, General. How are things _really_?"

Dykes was momentarily at a loss for words. Finally, he confessed, "We are just barely meeting our work quotas. The slaves are working slowly, and they are making mistakes. We also had one slave try to escape this morning. We recaptured and punished him in front of the others."

Hyke moved to stand behind Hatus so he could address the hologram. "You should know, General, that of all our facilities, yours is the only one that is underperforming. Perhaps we should replace you with someone who's more… competent at this job."

Dykes tried – and failed – to hide his rage. "You think I'm incompetent? Perhaps you sent me lousy slaves! Also, in case you didn't know, it's constantly cold and rainy here! My slaves are getting sick. It's a wonder they've been able to do as well as they have been."

Hatus suggested, "Perhaps you need help motivating them. I am sending Lady Volatis to assess the situation on Dromund Kaas. Perhaps she can make your base run more smoothly."

"My lord, I assure you, that is unnecessary. I can handle it myself."

"And yet, two heads are better than one." Hatus did not wait for Dykes' reply. He simply cut off the transmission. He turned to Volatis and said, "Pay close attention to everything that goes on in that base. If you judge anything – or anyone – to be disruptive to the facility, eliminate them. Can I count on you?"

Volatis smiled. "Of course, my lord. I won't fail you."

"Good. You may leave whenever you're ready." After Volatis was gone, Hatus addressed the others in the room. "We need to make sure the Jedi don't interfere with our plans. At this point, any setback could unravel the entire operation. How soon will the droids be ready?"

Sinestro answered, "Four months, at least. Although I could persuade the engineers to cut that time in half."

"Do it. In the meantime, how many soldiers do we have?"

"Less than two hundred. None of them are fully trained." Noticing Hatus' displeasure, Sinestro explained, "Keep in mind, my lord, that we are still working to perfect the process of creating actual beings. Without complete Sith DNA, we are still working to find the right combination. The orb is powerful, but we are still learning to harness that power."

At the mention of the Sith orb, Hatus smiled maliciously. "Yes, the orb. We control the most powerful object in the galaxy. We can create fully-grown Sith warriors in a day, synthesize strong armor from thin air, and heal even the most crippling diseases. The Jedi are helpless against such power! Soon, we will reveal ourselves, and then, everyone will suffer!"

* * *

After the disgusting chore that was dinner, Ben was thoroughly exhausted. He had been looking forward to some rest, but it was clear that that would not be happening. During dinner, it had begun pouring rain. If that was not bad enough, someone had stolen Ben's boots while he was scrubbing the vats, and the back of his shirt had been torn open when he was whipped. He tied the corners of his shirt together for a quick fix, but he was still forced to walk barefoot through the camp. He was relieved when he finally reached the slave quarters.

The relief was short-lived, however. From the outside, the wooden shacks had appeared large enough to accommodate all of the slaves. When Ben stepped inside, however, he realized just how cramped they really were. The shack was filled wall-to-wall with rows of wooden benches covered with straw and blankets, a poor substitute for beds. The space between the benches was only half a meter, at most, leaving little room for people to move around. In each of the four corners of the shack, pipes fed rainwater into large barrels. At least no one would die of thirst. But there were several places where rain leaked through the ceiling and pooled on the dirt floor, leaving everyone's feet muddy.

"Ben!" called a voice. Ben followed its source to Nysilla Zabeth, sitting on one of the beds. She patted the spot next to her, inviting him to sit down. He did so gratefully, realizing that he had not sat down since his fighter crashed. His legs were cramped from kneeling in the vats and standing at the cutting stations. He looked at Nysilla and asked, "How can you not be as sore as I am?"

The girl answered, "After a week or so, you get used to the pain."

Ben's eyes widened in shock. "Wait, you're saying you've been here a _week_?"

"Actually, I think it's been closer to two weeks. A lot of people have been here even longer than that. Some of them claim they were taken months ago."

Ben could not believe it. The Sith had been taking prisoners for months, and no one noticed? The Alliance he could understand; Chancellor Dain was too stupid to notice anything that was not staring at his face. But the Jedi? How could they have been so blind? He asked, "Where are you from?"

"I was born and raised on Felucia, in a small, isolated city. My dad was the governor there, until the Sith came."

Ben knew enough astronomy to know that Felucia was not far from Dromund Kaas. He had never been there himself, but he had heard his parents talk about it. It was a jungle planet famous for its giant, bulbous, multicolored plants. After the Yuuzhan Vong destroyed Ithor, the Ithorians were relocated to nearby Felucia. Ben also knew that many other species had immigrated there as well, humans among them. "What happened?"

Nysilla sighed sadly at the memory. "They told my dad that they were going to take over the Galactic Alliance, and they wanted Felucia's support. Other cities and colonies had already begun to submit to them, but my dad wouldn't. He didn't trust the Sith any more than he trusted the Alliance. So they left. But then they came back with more troops, and held the city under siege. They intercepted our trade, taking what they wanted, arrested anyone who tried to leave the city, enforced a curfew, and threatened my dad into doing what they wanted.

"After about a month of this, our city was suffering, and my dad lost his patience. He tried to stand up to the Sith, refusing to give in to their demands. They didn't like that so they… killed him." She sniffled and wiped her eyes. Ben laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Nysilla continued, "In the middle of the night, they rounded up all of my people and brought them here as slaves." That explained why she was wearing a night gown.

"What exactly are they making us do?" asked Ben.

"The Sith say that we're building their army. We're assembling ships, weapons, armor, and other things."

So the Sith _were_ building an army! And they were using slave labor to do it! Ben knew that the galaxy had to be warned. If only there were a way to get a message to his dad….

Ben's thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling Nysilla's name. Turning his head towards the source, he saw a woman pushing her way past the other slaves. She looked a lot like Nysilla, albeit thirty years older.

Nysilla stood up and said, "Hi, Mom." After the two women finished hugging, Nysilla asked, "How's your back?"

Her mother answered, "It's getting worse. I can barely lift anything, much less move quickly. But those Sith don't care; they keep pushing me to work harder despite my injury." She noticed Ben and asked, "Who's this?"

Nysilla introduced Ben to her mother. "Ben, this is my mom, Mari. Mom, this is Ben Lars."

After studying Ben for a few seconds, her smiling expression turned into one of concern. "You're the poor boy who was whipped this morning. I hope you're okay."

Ben replied, "I'm a little sore, but I'm fine."

"I wouldn't use the words 'sore' and 'fine' in the same sentence. But it's good that you're optimistic. There's not a lot of that around here." Mari tried to sit down on the bench next to her daughter's, but as soon as she bent her back, she started to groan painfully.

Nysilla grabbed her mother's arms and said, "Hold on, Mom. Let me help you." She gently lowered Mari onto the bench.

Mari sighed in relief and asked, "So, Ben, what's your story?"

Ben had spent the evening coming up with and rehearsing a fake cover story for Ben Lars. "My parents are moisture farmers on Tatooine. I had been sent to the nearest spaceport to pick up some supplies. Afterwards I was about to drive home when I accidently hit another speeder. I didn't know it at the time, but the owners of the speeder worked for the Sith. They were mad and demanded that I pay for the damage. I didn't have any money left, so I offered to work off my debt. That's when they kidnapped me and brought me here."

Nysilla's mouth gaped. "That's awful! And your parents don't even know what happened to you?"

Ben shook his head sadly. "By now they've probably given me up for dead." That was the only true part of Ben's story.

Mari said, "I can't believe they kidnapped you just for hitting a speeder. That's low, even for them." A minute later, she said, "I guess we'd better get some sleep. It's going to be a hard day tomorrow, as always."

Looking around, Ben noticed that most of the other slaves were lying down on their benches, getting ready to sleep. He stood up and said, "It was nice meeting you both. Maybe We'll see each other tomorrow."

Nysilla nodded her head. "I'd like that."

Mari slowly twisted around and, with her daughter's help, lay down on her back. "Good night, you two."

"Good night," echoed Ben. He walked away from the women and found an unoccupied bench. He lay down on the straw and pulled the blanket over his body. He tried to settle into sleep, but the straw was too itchy, so he slept on top of the blanket instead. It was more comfortable, but less warm. He supposed he would have to get used to these conditions if he was going to stay here. Hopefully, it would only be temporary.

* * *

The next morning, Ben woke up to the sound of an alarm blaring throughout the base. It was the same alarm that had awoken the slaves the previous day, but inside the shack, it was much, much louder. Instantly, all of the slaves jump out of bed – or bench – and hurried to the entrance. Ben wondered why they were in such a hurry. He found out a few seconds later.

A Sith guard pushed his way through the throng of slaves and roared, "Get up, all of you! You all got work to do!" He pulled out his electrowhip and started swinging it at anyone who was not moving fast enough. This was followed by cries of pain from men, women, and children. Ben, being a Jedi, had quick enough reflexes to avoid the whip, but others were not so fortunate, including Mari. The Sith yelled, "Get moving, lazy woman! Let's hope you're faster today, or you'll be punished!" Mari clutched her back as she followed the slaves.

As each slave left the shack, a Sith guard assigned him or her to a particular task. When he saw Ben, he barked, "Weapons." Ben assumed that he was supposed to go wherever they made weapons. He hung around for a few seconds until the guard assigned another slave to the same job. Ben then followed that slave to one of the metal buildings.

Inside the weapons building were rows of tables with crates underneath. From what Ben could tell, the weapons were constructed in an assembly line. At one end of the table, a slave took a part from his crate and added it to the central part. He then passed it to the slave next to him and picked up another weapon. Each slave added more parts until the weapon was finished. Ben realized that he could use this opportunity to study the Sith weapons so he could help the Alliance fight them… if he ever got back home.

That would have to wait, however, as one of the Sith overseers sent Ben to the end of the line to clean the finished weapons. He was given a rag, a brush, a bucket of soapy water, and some metal polish. Ben was not sure what to do at first, but, after watching other slaves clean their weapons, he quickly caught on. As he cleaned, he examined the blasters.

They were 125-centimeter-long rifles with room for two power packs, a quick-response trigger, and a targeting scope. Towards the end of the barrel were four thick rods, two on each side, protruding at acute angles to the barrel, in opposite directions. What these were for, Ben could not tell. The weapons were heavy – too heavy for humans in normal combat, but the right size for Sith.

After a full day of scrubbing and polishing without sitting down, Ben was even more sore than he had been the previous day. Not to mention the fact that he hadn't eaten all day, save a loaf of bread given to everyone in the morning. When the work day was over, he followed the rest of the slaves to the kitchen, where they were each given a bowl of stew. After picking out the bones, Ben took a sip of the foul concoction. The fat from the meat had mixed with the boiled milk, the bread was soggy from being soaked in the liquid, and the flavor of the fruits and vegetables had been lost to the broth. But, seeing as it was the only edible thing in the camp, Ben ate it gratefully.

After diner, Ben took time to look around the camp. With any luck, he would find weaknesses in its defenses. But he had no such luck. In fact, what he found only made his outlook worse. Behind each shack was a trench where slaves could go to relieve themselves without privacy. Whenever it rained, the trench would flood, leaving the entire ground covered in filth. This only helped to attract unwanted insects, some of which, Ben surmised, carried disease.

The camp was surrounded by three walls, with one side open to the river. At first, Ben thought that he could escape across the river, but when he saw it, he scrapped the idea. The river was deep and the water was almost freezing cold. The slaves used the shallow bank of the river to wash themselves (still wearing their clothes, to protect their modesty), but no one ever ventured too far, since the current was so fast. Anyone unlucky enough to fall, even in the shallows, would drown and be swept away.

When he was finished exploring, Ben returned to his quarters and went to Nysilla's bed. When she saw him, she jumped up and pushed her way towards him. She appeared panicked. "Ben! Have you seen my mom?"

Ben shook his head. "Not since this morning. Is she not back yet?"

"No, and I'm starting to get worried. What if she hurt herself? What if they did something to her?" Nysilla's chest started heaving quickly.

Ben put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Calm down. I'm sure she's fine. It's probably just taking a little longer for her to finish her job, you know, because of her back."

Nysilla nodded. "Yes. You're probably right. But what if you're wrong? I've heard of people disappearing here."

Optimistically, Ben suggested, "That doesn't mean the Sith did something to them. Maybe they escaped."

"Escaped where? Even if my mom did escape, there's nowhere for her to go. Pretty soon she'd be recaptured or…" Nysilla could not bring herself to say the word. Ben understood. After his mom died, he was terrified of losing his dad so soon afterward. If Mari died, then Nysilla would have no one.

"You can't think like that," said Ben. "You need to think positive. Soon, someone will realize that the Sith have been kidnapping people, and they'll come rescue us."

"But who? Who would go up against the Sith just to rescue us?"

"The Jedi would."

To Ben's surprise, Nysilla scoffed at him. "The Jedi aren't coming for us. They're too busy worrying about the rest of the galaxy to notice poor, Outer Rim worlds like ours. When the Ithorians were relocated after the Yuuzhan Vong War, the Jedi promised to watch over Felucia. But they weren't, were they, otherwise they wouldn't have let the Sith take us." She crossed her arms and sat down on her bench. "Face it, Ben. The Jedi don't care about us. Nobody is coming to our rescue."

Ben wanted to argue with her, to defend his friends and family, but he could not risk blowing his cover. He wanted to explain that the Jedi had been very busy for the past several years, dealing with Darth Caedus, Chancellor Dain, and the Sith Orb. But he could not, because Nysilla was partially right. Just because the Jedi had other problems close to home did not mean they could not look after everyone else. But now that Ben was on Dromund Kaas, the Jedi would have to come, right?

At that moment, the alarm sounded so suddenly and loudly that everyone jumped. There were murmurs of confusion and concern. Why would the Sith sound the alarm at the end of the day? Were they going to force the slaves to work through the night? Or was something happening? A Sith guard entered the shack and yelled, "Everybody, to the assembly square! NOW!" One by one, everyone filed out of the slave quarters and trudged to the square where everyone had witnessed Ben's punishment the previous morning.

Ben stayed close to Nysilla as every slave in the camp was herded into the assembly square. When he looked at the stage, Ben's attention was immediately drawn to five figures kneeling in a straight line with bags over their heads. Behind each one was a Sith guard armed with a blaster rifle identical to the ones Ben had helped make earlier. At the front of the stage were the Sith commander and… Mara Jade Skywalker?

Ben had to remind himself that one of the Sith assassins, Volatis, was a clone of his mother. Still, seeing her here, now, was almost too much for him to stomach. Volatis scanned the crowd before her, slowly turning her head back and forth. It suddenly occurred to Ben that she might be able to sense him through the Force. Quickly, he masked his Force presence using the technique that Jacen Solo had taught him.

Once all of the slaves had been gathered, every Sith in the base formed a perimeter around them. There were too many to count, but Ben estimated that there were at least fifty. He could not hope to fight them all alone, even if he did have a weapon. He could not escape the camp, fight his way out, or call for help. He was utterly trapped.

The Sith commander announced, "We have a problem here. We are the only work camp not meeting our daily quotas, and our masters are not happy."

 _The_ only _work camp?_ thought Ben. _There are more Sith bases?_

The commander continued, "They feel that drastic action is needed, which is why they've sent us one of their leaders, Darth Volatis."

 _Darth? Are the assassins calling themselves Sith Lords now?_

Volatis stepped forward and said, "General Dykes has informed me of the situation. I have determined that some of you work so poorly, that you're slowing down the entire camp." She gestured to the hooded figures behind her. "These five slaves have been found to be the least productive of you all." The guards behind each prisoner removed the hoods, revealing the slaves' identities. One of them was Mari Zabeth.

Gasps and murmurs of apprehension rose from the crowd, along with a few screams. Nysilla was among them. "Mom!" Ben sensed that she was going to try to fight her way to her mother. Knowing that her efforts would be pointless, he grabbed her wrists to restrain her.

Volatis continued, "General Dykes has been too soft on you. I assure that that will no longer be happening. Let this be a warning to all of you. Unless you work harder, there will be dire consequences." She nodded to the guards.

Ben's heart began pounding in his chest. He could tell what was about to happen. Evidently, so could Nysilla. She started crying and struggled to free herself from Ben's grip. He turned her around and whispered, "You don't want to see this." But he had to. He focused his attention on Mari and her guard. Her expression betrayed her terror. When her eyes met Ben's, they seemed to be saying, _Take care of my daughter_.

The guard behind Mari pressed a button on his rifle, and red energy appeared between the rods that angled out from the barrel. The result was two red ax blades protruding from either side of the barrel. The guard swung his rifle at Mari, burning through her neck and separating her head from her shoulders. The other prisoners all met similar fates.

At that moment, every slave screamed, but the only scream Ben heard was Nysilla's. She had not seen her mother's death, but she knew it had happened. She buried her face in Ben's shoulder and sobbed. He wrapped his arms around her and shushed softly, trying to calm her down. But he was the opposite of calm. He was angry. Angry at the Sith, at Volatis, and even at the Jedi. He vowed that this terrible deed would not go unpunished.

* * *

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Even though night had fallen on Coruscant, the city-planet never slept. When the sun went down, lights came on so bright that they could be seen from space. The Senate Building was mostly deserted, save for the night custodians and a few senators still working late. Don Dain was in his office, reading the latest intelligence reports on his computer. He found it to be a boring and tedious task, but it was part of his job.

The only thing of note was that hundreds people in the Outer Rim had been reported missing over the past several months, and civilizations were being found deserted. Several high-ranking officials feared that the disappearances were connected, but Dain did not think so. As far as he could tell, there was no pattern, and people went missing in the Outer Rim every day. Those people chose to live in dangerous places. He would not waste Galactic Alliance resources just to chase a conspiracy theory. Not when he had more important things to take care of – like the Jedi.

Suddenly, the lights in Dain's office went out, and the hum of the HVAC system stopped. He pressed the comlink button on his desk to contact maintenance, but it was not working. He wondered what was going on. Then, the office doors slowly slid open, revealing an armored figure in the doorway prying them open. The figure walked into the room with heavy footfalls, and the whirring of servomotors. He rumbled, "Chancellor."

Dain stood up calmly and said, "You always did know how to make an entrance, AO-327. I suppose this blackout is your doing?"

"My brain is sending out a feedback pulse to neutralize all nearby power sources. Once I leave, everything will turn back on."

The nearly two-meter-tall cyborg bounty hunter was clad head-to-toe in silver armor, with a helmet shaped in the likeness of a skull. Attached to his back was an energy pack that was connected to his concussion rifle by a hose. There were several clips and pockets on the pack for holding other tools and weapons. He removed his helmet to reveal a scarred face with cybernetic eyes. His baldness made it easier to see the blinking red lights in his brain.

AO-327's real name was a secret, but his story was fairly well-known. Prior to his birth, his mother was killed in a speeder crash. The doctors were able to save the child, but he had been born with several birth defects, warranting extensive cybernetic enhancements. His father, a wealthy man, paid for a titanium skeleton, prosthetic eyes, and mechanical brain implants. Prior to his death, he had left behind a trust fund to pay for his son's maintenance and upgrades.

Because of his differences, AO-327 was avoided by his father, his classmates, and everyone who saw him. This caused him to become bitter and angry, often landing him in trouble. When he grew up, he used his enhancements to his advantage to become one of the most feared and successful bounty hunters in the galaxy.

Dain could not help but smile. "Ingenious. It appears you received my message."

AO-327 said, "When someone important calls me for a job, it tends to interest me."

Dain gestured to the chair on the other side of his desk. "Care to sit down?"

AO-327 crossed his arms. "You think because I'm old, I need to rest? My body is fifty years younger than I am. Besides, I'm supposed to be breaking in these new servomotors."

Dain shrugged and sat down. "As you wish." He decided to get right to business. "Over the past year, the Jedi have been acting suspiciously, and I believe they are keeping secrets from me."

"Hmph. Well, you're not exactly the easiest person to talk to."

Dain ignored the bounty hunter's slight and continued, "I need someone to spy on the Jedi for me. I want to know every assignment they give, every topic of discussion in their council meetings, and everything Master Skywalker does outside the meetings."

"That's a tall order. What do you expect me to find out? Who uses the refresher, and when?"

"As a matter of fact, there are several things I want to know. For starters, I want to know everything the Jedi know about the assassins at my inauguration. Then, find out what the Jedi were looking for on Kamino last year, what happened to Master Fadré, why the Jedi tried to attack Dromund Kaas, and anything else you think might interest me."

"What _would_ interest you?"

Dain sighed and leaned forward. "I trust you won't reveal this information to anyone, under any circumstances?"

AO-327 laughed. "What, you think the Jedi will torture me if they catch me?"

"I wouldn't put it past them."

"I've kept your secret for sixty years. You can trust me."

Dain explained, "I believe that the Jedi are plotting to take over the Alliance. All clues suggest that they are attempting to undermine me. If I'm right, then I need to move against the Jedi before that happens. However, I cannot do so without sparking public outcry. I need proof to present to the public to convince them that the Jedi must be destroyed."

"And if it turns out you're wrong?"

"Either way, I will discover the truth. Then, I will expose the Jedi's secrets and let them deal with their damaged public image."

AO-327's eyes narrowed in disappointment. "That's it? No one to fight? No one to kill? In case you didn't know, I'm a successful bounty hunter. That being said, I'm in very high demand. And you want to waste my time and talents on spying? I'm hurt, Dain. Truly, I am." He turned toward the door and said, "Call me when you have an actual job."

As the cyborg began to walk, Dain called out, "I need someone I can trust, someone who can infiltrate the Jedi Temple. You can take other jobs, as long as you work for me in between. I'll pay you handsomely for any information you bring me, and I don't care how long it takes. I've already waited years for this opportunity; I can wait a few more months." As Dain spoke, AO-327 stopped walking and mulled over the proposal. "Do we have a deal, or do I need to sweeten the pot some more?"

After a minute, AO-327 turned around and stalked toward Dain. When they were standing half a meter apart, he held out his armored hand and said, "Deal." The two men shook hands, sealing their devious pact. The bounty hunter then left the same way he came in. Soon afterwards, the power came back on.

The comlink in Dain's desk began to chime. He pressed the button and answered, "Yes?"

The voice of a security officer asked, "Your Excellency, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Do you know what happened to the power?"

"We believe someone remotely deactivated the power only to your area of the building. Have you seen any intruders?"

"No, none. I trust you will inform me if you find anything suspicious."

"Of course, Chancellor." With that, the officer broke off the transmission.

Dain leaned back in his chair and smiled deviously.

* * *

After leaving Dain's office, AO-327 went to the end of the hallway and climbed out of an open window onto a ledge. With a single thought, he switched off the feedback pulse that was neutralizing the power and jumped. As he neared the ground, he activated the jets in his boots to slow his descent. When he landed, the shock absorbers in his legs cushioned the impact.

His eyes then adjusted to thermal imaging, allowing him to see his cloaked ship nearby. As he approached the ship, he sent a signal from his brain to open the rear boarding hatch. To human eyes, it appeared as though a circular portal to the interior of a ship had just magically appeared in the middle of an open area, with a rectangular boarding ramp extending from the portal to the ground. AO-327 strode up the boarding ramp and vanished within the ship. Moments later, the air was filled with the sound of engines firing as the ship lifted off the ground and flew away from the Senate Building. Then, the cloaking device disengaged, revealing the _Deceased_ to naked eyes.

The _Deceased_ had been custom built by AO-327 using bits and pieces of other ships. It began as an escape pod from an old Republic _Venator_ -class attack cruiser, which later became the cockpit of the ship. He then incorporated it into the wide, elliptical body of a cargo freighter, added two extra-large engines to either end, and constructed a forward-facing wedge that housed two hidden rotating blaster cannons and homing missile launchers. In addition, he had fine-tuned the _Deceased's_ circuitry to respond electronically to his own brain, allowing greater control and preventing theft.

AO-327 flew the _Deceased_ to an abandoned shipyard just outside of Galactic City. After the Yuuzhan Vong were driven from Coruscant, no one attempted to reopen the shipyard or salvage any of the ruined ships. AO-327 immediately took the opportunity to use it not only a hideout, but also as a place where he could salvage more components for the _Deceased_. Finding working parts was not easy, and incorporating them into the ship was even harder, but he had gained a lot of technical knowledge after a lifetime of self-maintenance.

After setting the _Deceased_ down in the middle of the shipyard, AO-327 powered down the ship. Then, it was time to consider his new job. Spying on Jedi was a waste of his talents. He much preferred capturing fugitives – or killing them, if he could – to sneaking around. After all, his appearance did not allow him to blend in anywhere. No doubt Dain was just being paranoid, as usual. Unlike Dain, AO-327 had no personal grudge against the Jedi. But, for the reward Dain was offering, perhaps it was worth indulging his paranoia.

The big question was, how? How would AO-327 go about doing this job? Infiltrating the Jedi Temple was nearly impossible. There were numerous security measures that prevented anyone from entering the temple, not to mention Jedi Knights patrolling the hallways, sensing for intruders. And even if he did manage to get in, then what? Was he supposed to find a hiding place and wait for Force-knows-how-long until someone let slip the information Dain was looking for? AO-327 was a very busy bounty hunter. He did not have time to wait.

Fortunately, he had a solution – an entire crate of them, to be exact.

* * *

The cloaked _Deceased_ landed near the base of the Jedi Temple's ziggurat. AO-327 then exited the ship, sending out another feedback pulse with his brain to reduce his chances of being detected. Switching to thermal imaging, he scanned the temple for entry points. The cool marble appeared sky blue amidst an indigo background, except for noticeably warmer spots that appeared green or yellow. Those spots indicated vents where cool air was being sucked in, forcing warm air out.

AO-327 chose the nearest vent and used his rocket boots to fly up to it. With one hand, he held onto the grate by one of the metal bars, and then he planted his feet against the sloped wall. The vent itself was too small for a normal-sized person to crawl through, but AO-327 did not plan to enter the temple himself. A panel in the side of his backpack opened and he pulled out several palm-sized metal disks. One by one, he pushed them through the grate and into the vent.

With a remote signal from his brain, AO-327 activated the spy droids. The metal disks sprouted eight spindly legs and a photoreceptor eye that glowed white. The droids then scuttled down the vent towards their preprogrammed destinations. Once there, they would magnetically clamp themselves to a ceiling and begin recording. The next time AO-327 was near the Jedi Temple, he could remotely download all of the footage.

If the Jedi were keeping secrets, he would uncover them.

* * *

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It had been nearly a month since Ben Skywalker's death, and Luke Skywalker was finally coming to terms with his loss. Initially, he had spent most of his time locked in his quarters, only allowing his closest friends and relatives to visit him. After a couple of weeks, he began to walk through the halls of the Jedi Temple. However, he barely spoke to anyone, and people barely spoke to him. He had begun attending Jedi Council meetings again, although Ahsoka Tano still led them. She also kept him up-to-date on events in and out of the temple.

The Jedi had been devoting most of their resources to finding the Sith. So far, they had come up with nothing. Sol Fadré's communication had been their last lead. Meanwhile, trouble was always brewing somewhere in the galaxy, and it was up to the Jedi to find a peaceful resolution. With the mysterious disappearances in the Outer Rim, more resources were being diverted to that investigation, effectively halting the Sith investigation.

On this particular day, Ahsoka had summoned Luke to the Jedi war room, claiming to have found something important. When he arrived, he saw Ahsoka, Han, Leia, and Jaina Solo, and a few other Jedi Masters gathered around the giant holomap projector in the center of the room. As Luke entered the room, everyone glanced at him nervously, still unsure of what to say to a recently grieving father. Breaking the ice, Luke asked, "You found something?"

Ahsoka nodded and began to address everyone present. "As you know, we've been focusing on the mass disappearances in the Outer Rim lately. We all believe that they're related, but there's no proof. However, I assembled this map displaying all of the locations where people have disappeared over the past few months." She typed on the holoprojector's keypad and a map of the galaxy appeared above it. Most of the stars were represented by white dots, while others were blinking red.

Ahsoka zoomed in on an area in the northeastern corner of the map. "Notice that most of the disappearances are concentrated in this area. This could indicate that whoever is causing them is operating from somewhere in the center." She pointed at a star in the middle of the cluster to illustrate her point. She looked around at everyone and said, "Guess which planet is in the center."

Luke recognized the planet based on the surrounding systems. "Dromund Kaas," he answered, with a knot forming in his stomach.

Ahsoka nodded. "I think the Sith really _are_ there, and they're behind the disappearances. Maybe the refugee colony was just a cover to throw us off. Maybe it's actually a prison."

A sickening thought came to Luke. "If that's true, then I don't think Ben's death was an accident. I think it was murder."

An uncomfortable silence followed. After a moment, Leia said, "Let's not assume anything just yet. We can't prove Master Tano's theory, and Chancellor Dain won't allow us to go back to Dromund Kaas to investigate."

Han asked, "Why do we need his permission?"

Ahsoka answered, "Because, he told me that we have to keep him informed. Besides, we're already keeping too many secrets from him. Any more lies or cover-ups and we risk being exposed. We're going to have to be creative to stop the Sith. If anyone has any ideas, please, share them."

For the next few moments, everyone was silent as they tried to come up with their own ideas. Han made the first suggestion. "Let me take the _Falcon_ to Dromund Kaas. I'll check out this refugee colony myself and report what I find." Everyone exchanged thoughtful looks. "Technically, I'm not affiliated with Jedi, so Dain can't do anything to us if he finds out. Besides, one ship is bound to draw a lot less attention than an entire fleet."

Some of the Jedi seemed to consider this idea, but Leia shook her head. "It's too dangerous, Han."

Han was taken aback. "What? You think I can't take care of myself?"

"I _know_ you can, dear. But if the Sith really are there, they could sense you. And as good as you are in a fight, I don't think you could survive against three Sith and Demood Elppirc."

Jaina suggested, "Maybe we can send Tahiri with Dad. Technically she's not a Jedi, either. I'm sure she'd be eager to catch Ben's… the Sith." She decided against using the word "killers" out of respect for Luke.

Ahsoka pointed out, "Tahiri did well on Mustafar. I think she would be up to the task."

Again, Leia shot down the idea. "That still wouldn't be enough. They beat four Jedi at Dain's inauguration; how can we expect one former Jedi and a smuggler to fare any better?"

Ahsoka nodded in agreement. "Leia's right. We need strength in numbers. Numbers, unfortunately, that we can't have."

Luke said, "Maybe we don't have to go to Dromund Kaas." When everyone gave him inquisitive looks, he explained, "Dain won't let us go to Dromund Kaas, but we can let the Sith come to us. If we can determine where they'll strike next, we can set a trap for them. Fight them with our full strength."

Saba Sebatyne hissed happily, "This one likes this plan!"

Kyle Katarn asked, "What if only one Sith falls into the trap? The other two will be expecting us to use the same tactic."

Luke shrugged, "Then let's hope it works the first time."

"And how does this help the prisoners on Dromund Kaas? Somehow, I doubt the Sith will tell us where they are."

Han said, "We need to get in their ship, access their navigation records. They'll give us the proof we need to convince Dain. You just keep them busy long enough, and I can get the records."

Kenth Hamner pointed out, "Your plan depends on a number of variables, Captain Solo. The Sith could have encrypted their logs or set security passwords. Or they could wipe their records clean."

Han shook his head doubtfully. "Yeah, I don't think the Sith are _that_ paranoid. But, if you're right, I'll think of something creative. I always do." Some of the masters were not reassured by that.

Ahsoka said, "We have another problem. We can't send every Jedi we have on this one mission. It would definitely raise suspicions. We need an army."

"An army?" repeated Leia. "Doesn't that seem like a bit much?"

"Not a _whole_ army. We just need enough troops to back us up. The problem is, where do we get them?"

Han spoke up. "How about Admiral Mo'Ari? He's helped us before."

"No. Dain placed him under probation after Dromund Kaas. And we can't request more troops, or else Dain will start asking questions."

Thoughtfully, Luke said, "Maybe we can call on another army to help us. We have allies who are not under Dain's jurisdiction."

Kyle asked, "Who would want to risk going up against three Sith? Mandalorians, maybe, but they're not exactly allies."

"The Hapans?" suggested Jaina. "Tenel Ka would probably help if we asked her."

Luke turned to Jaina. "Actually, I was thinking of Jagged Fel."

Jaina stiffened. "Jag? Why?"

"He's the Head of State of the Imperial Remnant. He has access to ships and troops who would fight the Sith if he ordered them to."

Jaina stammered, "Um, but what if he doesn't want his troops fighting the Sith? He knows how to stay away from a fight he can't win."

"He might say yes if you convinced him to."

Her eyes widening in surprise, Jaina repeated, "Me?"

Ahsoka asked, "Why not? You're still friends with him, aren't you?"

In truth, Jaina and Jagged Fel were much more than friends. But Jaina did not want anyone to find out about that, so she answered simply, "Yeah, we talk once in a while."

"Good," said Luke, "Then contact him, explain the situation, and be sincere. Do whatever it takes to convince him."

Somehow, in Jaina's mind, that would not be a problem.

Luke continued, "And now the question is, where do we set our trap? How do we predict where the Sith will be?"

Ahsoka answered, "We'll use the Force. If we all meditate together, we might see the future." She took Leia's hand in her left, and Kyle's in her right. They, in turn, held the hand of the Jedi next to them. Soon, the Jedi were standing in a circle, holding hands. Then they began to meditate.

Han cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "Well if you don't need me, I'll, uh, let myself out." He left the war room, leaving the Jedi alone.

The Force within each person slowly crept from one person to the next, unevenly at first, but soon synchronized. It flowed faster, faster, gaining strength with each cycle. Finally, at the same time, they all experienced the same vision. On a planet covered in plains and mesas, in a city of ornately decorated buildings, feline humanoids were running through densely packed streets, screaming. A wave of fire chased them, setting fire to buildings and people alike, leaving behind blackened shells, ash, and the smell of burning flesh and fur. Then, striding through the rubble, was Sinestro, taking in the carnage around him.

The vision ended, and the Jedi released each other's hands as they returned the temple war room. Ahsoka was the first to speak. "I recognize that city. It's on Zygerria. Those people are Zygerrians."

Leia nodded. "It makes sense actually. Zygerrians have a long history of violence and slavery. Their slave empire took off when Palpatine rose to power. Ever since then, we've been trying to put an end to their activities, but no matter how many slavers we catch, more keep appearing."

Jaina asked, "You think they're working with the Sith?"

"Even if they're not," answered Luke, "I'm still willing to bet that they have something to do with the disappearances. The Sith assassins couldn't kidnap entire populations without a lot of help."

Kyle asked, "What do you think that vision meant? We saw Sinestro there after the city was destroyed. Does that mean the Sith destroyed the city, or something else?"

Ahsoka reminded him, "What we saw is in the future. We have a chance to prevent it if we act quickly. Jaina, contact Head of State Fel and tell him that the Sith are going to be on Zygerria. We'll assemble a strike team of Jedi to rendezvous with his forces there."

Jaina bowed. "Yes, Master." She turned and left the room. Through the Force, Luke could sense Jaina's reluctance, and wondered what she was afraid of – and why she would not tell them.

As the rest of the Jedi slowly filed out of the room, Luke stood rooted to the same spot, staring at the holomap. How could he have been so foolish as to fall for the refugee colony lie? He was the Jedi Grand Master; he was supposed to be able to sense when something was wrong. Did Ben die because of Luke's failure?

Ahsoka must have sensed his thoughts, for she placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "It wasn't your fault, Luke. We were all fooled."

Luke shook his head. "If I hadn't been so obsessed with finding the Sith Orb, we wouldn't have had to go to Dromund Kaas in the first place."

"No one could have predicted what happened after you found the orb. It all would have worked out if Sol Fadré hadn't betrayed us. _He_ turned Demood Elppirc against us and let the assassins into the temple. You had nothing to do with it." While her voice was soothing, her words did nothing to change how Luke felt. "Don't worry. Once we're on Zygerria, the Sith will lead us to the prisoners _and_ Master Elppirc. We'll get the orb back and destroy the Sith once and for all. This will all be over soon."

"And then what?" asked Luke. "Even if we succeed, it won't bring Ben back. I'll have to live with this guilt for the rest of my life."

Ahsoka nodded sadly. "You're right. Nothing can bring Ben back. But we'll have saved maybe thousands of lives in his memory. And even after that, you won't be alone. I'll always be here for you."

Luke smiled at Ahsoka, and together they headed for the door. As they did so, he asked, "Did Jaina seem nervous to you?"

"I did notice. It was almost like she didn't want to ask Jag for help. Do you have any idea why?"

Luke shrugged. "Maybe she still has feelings for him. That tends to make for awkward assignments."

Ahsoka chuckled. "I know what you mean. Did I ever tell you about my first mission with Boba Fett during the Clone Wars?"

As the two Jedi left the war room, Ahsoka began to recount her tale. They did not notice, however, that they had just walked beneath a spy droid attached to the ceiling.

* * *

Once she was in the privacy of her own quarters, Jaina Solo was ready to contact Jagged Fel. Using the holotransmitter built into the wall, she entered the frequency that would connect her directly to Jag's personal transmitter. A moment later, his hologram appeared.

Jag smiled pleasantly and said, "Not that this isn't a pleasure, Jaina, but I wasn't expecting you to contact me so soon. It hasn't even been a month…"

"Actually," interrupted Jaina, "I'm calling on business."

Jag raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh. Well, what can I do for you?"

"The council plans to capture the Sith assassins, and they want your help."

" _My_ help? I know I'm good in a fight, but, against the assassins?"

Jaina explained, "Not _your_ help, personally; the Imperial Army. We believe that the Sith are behind the disappearances in the Outer Rim, so we're going to lay a trap for them on Zygerria. The council was hoping you would send a force of stormtroopers to back us up."

Jag frowned uncertainly. "I don't know. The Empire has had a bit of a falling out with the Zygerrians since we joined the Alliance. If I were to send troops to their planet, I don't think they'd react well. Can you set your trap on another planet?"

Jaina shook her head. "No. It has to be Zygerria. It's the only place we know they're going to be. We saw the future through the Force."

"Of course," Jag replied, indifferently. He did not pretend to understand the Force, but he knew better than to question the Jedi's belief in it. For that, at least, he had earned their respect. "If I may ask, why do you need me? Why can't you use Alliance troops?"

Jaina hesitated as she tried to come up with a good answer. Ultimately, she could not. "It's… complicated. Chancellor Dain isn't going to help us, and we don't want to attract unwanted attention to ourselves."

Jag's eyes lit up in understanding. "Ah, I get it. Still, sending in stormtroopers against three Sith could end up costing me dearly. Are you confident in this plan? Can you guarantee that it'll be worth my losses?"

In truth, Jaina had no idea if the council's plan would work. All of their previous attempts to stop the Sith had failed. But she knew that Jag was a tactician. He would not risk his troops if he did not think they would succeed. "Yes, I'm confident."

For a moment, Jag was silent as he contemplated Jaina's request. Finally, he said, "You're lying."

Jaina, taken aback, exclaimed, "Am not!"

Jag smiled and shook his head. "I know you well enough to know when you're lying."

Sighing, Jaina confessed, "Okay, so maybe I think this plan is a long shot. But, if we succeed, the Sith will be gone, the people they're kidnapping will be saved, and we won't have to sneak around Dain anymore."

"I hate to say it, but those are the Jedi's problems, not the Empire's."

Jaina was shocked to hear him say that. "What are you talking about? The Sith are everyone's problem!"

"I think you'll find that most people would disagree with you. The Sith haven't made any threats against the Empire, or our constituents. They haven't even been seen in almost a year. People are starting to forget about them."

Realizing that she was losing the argument, Jaina decided to put all her cards on the table. "They stole something from the Jedi. An ancient, powerful weapon."

That piqued Jag's interest. He stared at Jaina, open-mouthed. "The Sith Orb? They have it?"

"How did you know what I was talking about?" Jaina did not remember mentioning the Sith Orb to Jag, and only the Jedi knew about it.

Jag explained, "Remember when Master Skywalker asked me to look through Imperial records for the location of an 'artifact' recovered from Mustafar? The record included the artifact's name. After that, I did a little research. I didn't find much, but what I did find wasn't good."

"That's why this is so important. If we don't get the orb back, the Sith will use it to take over the galaxy. So, will you help us, please?" Jag continued to think about it. It looked like he wasn't entirely convinced, however, so Jaina decided to go all in. "I'll make it worth your while."

Jag smiled and said, "Well, I suppose I could help out a friend in need, but you'll owe me a big favor."

Beaming with gratitude, Jaina replied, "Whatever you want. I'll have Uncle Luke contact you to make the arrangements."

"Sounds good. I'll see you soon, Jedi Solo."

"You too, Head of State Fel." Jaina cut off the transmission and sighed in relief. She had succeeded in enlisting Jag's help, but it had not been easy. She had had to offer the very thing she had hoped not to. She supposed it did not matter. Nobody knew about her and Jag, and no one would have to find out.

* * *

Aboard the _Deceased_ , back on Coruscant, AO-327 sorted through the latest batch of data he had collected from his spy droids within the Jedi Temple. He was starting to get very annoyed with this job. Don Dain had asked for information on three specific things – Kamino, Dromund Kaas, and Master Fadré – but AO-327 was finding nothing valuable. After processing several days' worth of footage in a matter of hours, with no results, he considered giving up on the job.

But then, he came across footage from the Jedi war room the previous day. They talked about some things that made no sense to him, but he was more interested in the things that did make sense. They talked about keeping secrets from the chancellor. It seemed that Dain was not so paranoid after all. They also talked about Dromund Kaas a lot, and how they believed that there were Sith on the planet. So, they were just chasing ghosts. Maybe it was the Jedi who were paranoid.

Then, the Jedi started planning some kind of secret mission to Zygerria, and Jaina Solo was supposed to contact Jagged Fel to ask for the Empire's help. Finally, when Masters Skywalker and Tano were alone, they mentioned Master Fadré. Apparently, he was a traitor, along with another master called Demood Elppirc.

AO-327 frowned in confusion. He had heard about Master Elppirc during the Clone Wars. He bombed a Republic Prison and let Separatist criminals escape. He was captured and imprisoned, but then the Separatists kidnapped him. The Republic tried to get him back, but he was killed when a Separatist cruiser blew up. AO-327 had actually been there, witnessed the explosion, and he knew there was no way a cripple like Master Elppirc could have survived that.

So, why were the Jedi talking about him? Was he alive? Did he have something to do with whatever they were plotting? AO-327 erased those questions from his mind. His job was to gather information, not to interpret it. He'll give the information to Dain and let him think what he will.

But this was not enough. AO-327 needed more information before he could give it to Dain. Whatever the Jedi were planning to do on Zygerria, it probably was not good. He would have to observe the mission and continue to collect data. If only he knew when the mission would take place. Fortunately, he had also tapped into the Jedi Temple's communications system. He could listen in on Solo's call to Fel to find out if they had made any arrangements.

AO-327 scanned all transmissions that occurred after the meeting until he found the one he was looking for. He watched it all the way through, but all it did was confirm that the Empire was helping the Jedi, and that the mission to Zygerria was imminent. More than that, he suspected that there was more to Jaina and Jag's "friendship" than it seemed.

* * *

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	11. Chapter 10

*This chapter contains some mild sexual violence. You have been warned.*

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Ben Skywalker woke up once again to the sound of the alarm that he had grown so accustomed to. Scratching his newly-grown beard, he sat up on his bench and stretched his back, which had grown sore from sleeping on the hard wood. The straw that had once served as a mattress had been donated to other slaves who needed it more. The shirt Ben had been wearing when he arrived on Dromund Kaas had been reduced to scraps over time, and the straw caused his bare skin to itch. He tried using the blanket as a sheet between him and the straw, but then he was cold throughout the night. The best solution he could come up with was to get rid of the straw and sleep on the bare wood.

He stood up, being careful not to step on the slaves who had to sleep on the floor because there were not enough beds. His feet landed in a watery mud puddle. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Another leak. The Sith never bothered to patch the roofs of the shacks, even when centimeter-wide holes formed. Some nights, a slave would go to sleep on dry ground and wake up half-submerged in water. They had to sleep face-up and close-mouthed, or else risk drowning.

Ben joined the throng of slaves hurrying towards the door, catching a glimpse of Nysilla Zabeth as he did so. In the days following her mother's execution, she had become silent and reclusive, not allowing herself to show emotion around the Sith. But at nights, when Ben could not sleep, he would hear her crying. Part of him wanted to comfort her, but another part told him to give her some room. But when he saw her trembling and staring into space, it was hard to listen to the latter part. Even now, she still barely said a word.

The Sith overseer in charge of the slaves in Ben's shack stood outside, giving everyone their assignments. Every day, Ben was given a different job. Some days, he would be in the kitchen, preparing the disgusting stew everyone was supposed to eat. Preparing the meat for the stew was messy and usually resulted in his hands covered in blood. Cooking the stew left him smelling as rancid as the stew itself. But serving the stew was even worse. Lately, as more slaves were brought to the camp, the Sith did not provide enough ingredients to feed everyone.

Ben remembered the first day this had happened. He had been standing behind a table, ladling stew from a pot into bowls and passing the bowls to the slaves lined up in front of the table. At one point, he stuck his ladle into the pot, but there was no stew left. He turned to look at the slave at the front of the line and saw that it was just a child. Sadly, he said, "Sorry, there's no more." The child's eyes brimmed with tears and he started to cry. All of the slaves behind him groaned and shuffled away, knowing that they would be going hungry until the next day.

After that incident, it became a race to get in line. This led to arguing and, sometimes, physical fighting. When this happened, the nearest Sith guard used his electrowhip on everyone involved. Many of the slaves shared their stew with those who were too late, but half a bowl was not enough to keep anyone fed. Some slaves stole bowls from each other, leading to more fighting and more whipping. To make sure everyone got fed, portion sizes were reduced, so everyone quickly became malnourished. Humans and aliens alike were now shrinking to skin and bones, and everyone was losing strength. And without strength to perform their jobs, slaves were steadily executed by the Sith.

On other days, Ben would be on one of the assembly lines, constructing weapons, armor, tools, and even small vehicles. He hated these jobs the least, because he was good with machinery, like his father and grandfather were. Also, it allowed him to collect information that would be valuable to the Jedi… if they ever came back for him. Still, it was backbreaking, dirty work, and without proper safety protocols, it was easy to get hurt.

One day, he and some other slaves were working on speeder bikes. The speeders were laid out on the floor of the warehouse, and the slaves moved to each speeder carrying boxes of components that they were supposed to install. They only had a minute to work on each speeder before the Sith overseer yelled "Next!" And if they did not finish in time, they would be whipped. With the stress of having to work quickly, no one had time to worry about safety or efficiency.

At one point, Ben was concentrating on a speeder, trying to install his components, when he heard someone scream. It was so loud, so sudden, that he nearly dropped his box. He looked up and saw that one slave's hand had gotten stuck in the speeder engine. He tried desperately to free himself, but it was no good. The overseer yelled, "Keep working!" forcing the other slaves to turn their attention back to what they were doing. But Ben could not work. He had to see what happened next.

The overseer marched over to the screaming slave and ordered, "Be quiet!"

The man, eyes wide with terror, sobbed, "Please, help me. It hurts."

For a moment, it looked like the Sith was going to walk away and let the poor man suffer. Then, he said, "Hold still." He raised his blaster rifle and activated the energy ax blades on the sides of the barrel. Realizing what was about to happen, the slave screamed and begged for mercy. But the Sith ignored him and brought his rifle down on the slave's hand, cleanly severing it from his arm.

Ben had never heard so much anguish from a single person. The slave screamed at the top of his lungs, clutching the stump at his wrist and cradling it against his chest. The overseer ordered him to continue working, but it was clear that that was not possible. So he raised his rifle and killed the slave with a head shot. Noticing that the other slaves were staring, he barked once more, "I said, keep working!" Ben and the remaining slaves immediately went back to work, more determined than ever not to incur the wrath of their masters.

And then there were the days when Ben was placed on janitorial duty in the factories or command buildings. He would be given a crusty sponge and a bucket of soapy water and sent to a certain building to clean everything. He had to clean the floors, the walls, the furniture, and the refreshers until there was no dust or dirt on anything. In order accomplish this, Ben had to work nonstop for the entire day even as his hands cramped and his knees got sore. If he was in a room where Sith happened to be talking, he would try to listen for useful information. But if he was caught eavesdropping, the Sith would whip him, so he had to be extra careful.

Each job was just as undesirable as the next, so Ben had no hope that this day would be any better than the others. And, based on their expressions, neither did the other slaves. Their conditions had been getting steadily worse since Darth Volatis arrived. They were sick, wounded, and starving, and dozens of them died every day.

Dromund Kaas was a cold, rainy planet, and some of the species being interned there were not biologically suited for that environment. A Rodian mother and her young son slept on the bench next to Ben's. Being more inclined to the warm swamps of Rodia, the cold was especially hard on them. Ben had given them his blanket, and they slept huddled together at night, but they were still cold. Their green skin was slowly turning blue, and they barely had the strength to walk, but the Sith still made them work, driving them with their whips. One morning, as everyone was scrambling to receive their work orders, Ben saw that the Rodians weren't moving. When he pulled back the blanket, he was horrified to see that they had frozen to death in their sleep, still clutching each other for warmth.

It was not just the warm-climate species that were dying. Everywhere Ben went, he saw slaves of all species and ages showing visible signs of illness. Every sickness was caused by multiple factors, such as cold, rain, starvation, harmful bacteria, physical abuse, and overexertion. The Sith did not have any medicine, nor any doctors. If a slave got sick, either they recovered, or they died. And very rarely was it ever the former. If the slaves were too sick to work, the Sith killed them.

Another problem they encountered was clothing. The only set of clothing the slaves had were the clothes they had been wearing when they were taken from their homes. After working in them every day for over a month, their clothes quickly began to fall apart. Some of the slaves tried to fix them with whatever was at their disposal, which was next to nothing. Since there was nowhere to get new clothes, the slaves had no choice but to take them from the dead. They would then tear strips of fabric from the tattered cloths and use them to patch whichever garments were in better shape. Women would use locks of their hair as thread, and wooden splinters from the shacks as needles. These were poor substitutions, however, and the fixes never lasted long.

The slave camp was not without its fair share of escape attempts. Mostly, it was just one or two slaves sneaking out at night and trying to climb over the walls. But they were always caught and publicly whipped, just as Ben had been on the day he had arrived. Every so often, a slave would be bold enough to attack a Sith, which always resulted in death. As more attempts failed, all of the other slaves were discouraged from resisting their captors.

After another day of disgusting, back-breaking work, Ben began walking back to his hut. As he passed a Sith guard, he stared straight at his feet to avoid eye contact. At that moment, he noticed for the first time just what shape his feet were in. They were caked with dirt and a little bit of blood, and the bottoms of his feet were dry and covered in burst blisters. It suddenly occurred to him that he had not worn shoes in over a month.

"Hold it right there!" Ben froze in response to the voice of the guard he had just passed, terrified of what might be coming next. Slowly, he turned around, and saw that the guard was looking right at him. "What are you hiding?"

Nervously, Ben replied, "I – nothing."

The Sith growled and stalked towards him. Ben squeezed his eyes shut as the Sith raised his hand… and pushed him aside. "Not you, scum! Her!"

Surprised, Ben opened his eyes and looked in the direction the guard was pointing. A blue-skinned Twi'lek woman in a skintight jumpsuit suddenly turned and ran away. But to everyone's shock, she flew backwards towards the guard until his hand was around her throat. Ben realized that he must have used the Force to pull her back. Not only were there Sith; there were _Force-sensitive_ Sith!

The Twi'lek woman kicked out with her legs trying to free herself from the Sith's grip. He growled, "What are you hiding under there?" The woman responded in her native tongue, probably denying whatever it was the Sith was accusing her of. He responded by digging his fingers into the collar of her jumpsuit, and then pulling with all his strength. The woman screamed and tried to cover her now-naked chest. But the guard was more interested in what had fallen out from between her breasts. It was a crudely-made knife. He held it up to her throat and asked, "What were you planning to do with this?" The woman responded with desperate pleas for mercy, which fell on deaf ears.

By now, a crowd of slaves had gathered, and they gasped in shock at the Sith's actions. More Sith arrived, grinning evilly at the scene before them. The first guard threw the woman into the mud and shouted a command in the language Ben often heard the Sith use. In response, four of the guards held the Twi'lek down while the first guard stood over her and inspected the knife. He then stared silently at the woman, as though reading her through the Force.

Finally, he said, "You were working on speeder bikes today, weren't you? This looks an awful lot like part of a steering vane." He knelt down so that his face hovered just above hers, holding the knife to her throat once again. "You've been stealing, haven't you?" Quivering in fear, the woman continued to deny her guilt in between quick breaths. But the Sith was not convinced, so he held his hand mere centimeters from her face and reached out with the Force.

He was using the Force to probe the depths of her mind. Ben had seen Jacen Solo use this interrogation technique when they both worked in the Galactic Alliance Guard. Usually, the prisoners held their ground for a while, resisting him, but as he pushed harder, even the most strong-willed individuals broke from the pain. The weak-minded were often left with permanent brain damage – if they survived.

The Twi'lek woman's face tightened as she tried to endure the pain, but it was not long before she broke. Gradually, her breath came in ragged gasps, tears flowed from her eyes, and she began to sob and beg for the Sith to stop. Her body shook uncontrollably, which greatly amused the Sith who were looking at her bare chest. Ben tried to tear his gaze away from the scene, but his neck would not turn, his eyes would not close, and his feet would not move. He was frozen in place, captivated by the horror of the woman's situation.

Finally, the Force-sensitive Sith released her mind and said, "This isn't the first time you've stolen from us, and you weren't planning on it being the last." He removed the knife from her throat, eliciting sighs of from relief from several of the slaves. But then he added loudly, "And you weren't acting on your own. Someone here put you up to it!" He began walking along in front of the crowd, holding the knife in his left hand, studying each slave as he passed them.

All of the slaves were now terrified that the Sith was going to punish them. But none were more afraid than Ben. If the Sith sensed that he was a Jedi, he would be killed without a second thought. Using the technique Jacen taught him, Ben masked his Force presence so that the Sith could not sense him. Unfortunately, Ben was not practiced in the technique, and it required all of his concentration. He would not be able to sense what the Sith would do next, and he would not be able to react in time.

Suddenly, the Sith whirled around and thrust the knife deep into a man's chest, causing all of the slaves to scream. Then, in one swift stroke, he pulled the knife downward, cutting through bone, muscle, and organs. The screams became even louder as blood spurted from the man's body. Ben had never seen so much blood in his entire life, and he, like many of the other slaves, nearly fainted from the sight. Screaming, the man tried to plug his wounds with his arms until, finally, he collapsed in a growing pool of blood.

To everyone present, the Sith announced, "This is the type of punishment you face for attempting to defy us." He turned to the Twi'lek and said, "And now, you must face punishment as well." He shouted a command in the guttural language the Sith often used with each other, and the Sith holding the woman down began to tear off the rest of her clothes, leaving her completely naked in front of everyone. She sobbed as the first Sith, holding the blood-soaked knife, stalked towards her.

It did not take long for Ben to figure out what was about to happen. Instinctively, he reached for his lightsaber, but it was not there. Then he remembered; he was undercover. If he interfered in any way, the Sith would know he was a Jedi and kill him. He could not take on the entire base without a weapon, especially now that there were Force-sensitive Sith among their ranks. But he could not stand by and let this poor woman suffer. It went against everything Ben had been raised to believe. He did not know what to do.

His thoughts were interrupted by the shouting of a familiar voice. Darth Volatis pushed her way through the crowd, yelling, "What's going on here?"

The first Sith turned to face her and replied, "This woman was hiding this knife in her clothes. She was coerced by that man, so I took care of him. Now, it's time for her to receive her punishment!"

Despite being a foot shorter than the Sith, Volatis stared him down. " _This_ is not how we do things! We need these slaves, and it doesn't help when you kill them left and right!"

The Sith sneered, " _This_ is how we keep them in line! After all this time, they've been getting used to the punishments! They're just going to keep making trouble unless we find new ways to motivate them!"

"Well, find another way, because this is unacceptable." Looking at the Twi'lek, she ordered, "Let her up!" When the other guards did as she commanded, and the woman was on her feet, trying to cover herself with her hands, Volatis turned and stormed away.

The Sith's pink face turned red with anger, and he reached for the electrowhip on his belt. In one swift movement, he activated the weapon and swung around, hitting the Twi'lek's neck. But, to Ben's shock, it turned out not to be an electrowhip; it was a lightsaber! The other slaves screamed as the red blade severed the woman's neck, and her head flew into the crowd. Slaves fell on top of each other as they tried to avoid being hit.

Volatis ran back into the crowd and looked from the headless naked body sprawled on the ground to the guard with his lightsaber still ignited. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"

The guard replied, "I made sure she doesn't cause trouble again."

With a yell of anger, Volatis ignited her lightsaber and pointed the blade at the Sith. "I just told you to stop killing slaves! Now, you've gone too far!"

The guard raised his lightsaber and said, "Then go ahead and kill me. But how do think your master will feel about that?"

Realization dawned on Volatis' face, followed by anger. She deactivated her lightsaber and growled, "This isn't over." Looking around at the slaves, she yelled, "Back to your quarters, all of you!" Then she looked at the bodies and the two dead slaves and added, "And get rid of those."

Ben spent the entire night thinking about what he could have done to save the woman. He played out every scenario resulting from every possible action, and they all ended in death – either the Twi'lek's, or his own. But he could not accept that there was nothing he could have done. If he did, then he would be accepting that he had become powerless. He had been raised to help people whenever he could, and he had failed. He failed his father, his mother, and the Jedi Order.

* * *

I debated long and hard on whether or not to include that last passage. Normally, sexual violence in any form of media makes me squeamish, but I felt that this was important to show the danger that Ben, Nysilla, and the other slaves are in. The next chapter to take place on Dromund Kaas will be even darker. If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Darth Hatus set his cane on his desk and gingerly stood up. Thanks to the Sith orb, he was slowly regaining the use of his legs. He still had far to go, however, and he wanted to expedite his rehabilitation as much as possible. He put one foot in front of the other, and then the other in front of the first. He repeated this motion awkwardly as he hobbled across the length of his office on Korriban.

Darth Sinestro stood next to the desk, wordlessly observing his master's progress. Hatus had almost reached the opposite wall when he lost his footing and fell to the floor. Sinestro moved to help him up, but halted when Hatus ordered, "Stop! I can do it myself." He planted both palms and feet on the ground, took a deep breath, and pushed himself up with his arms. Slowly, he straightened his knees, struggling to keep his balance. He was barely a quarter-meter off the ground when his knees failed and he fell back to the ground.

This time, Sinestro ignored his orders and helped his master to his feet. "You're pushing yourself too hard. You must be patient."

Hatus hobbled back to his desk, Sinestro walking beside him the entire way. "I have no time for patience. I don't want to appear like this when we visit Zygerria. Besides, the sooner I am healed, the sooner I can crush the Jedi."

"If you just wait a few more months, our army will be ready, and we can crush them together."

Hatus settled into his chair with a relieved sigh. "That depends on the progress of our–" He was interrupted by the beeping of his desk holotransmitter. He pressed the receive button and the hologram of Darth Volatis popped up. "Darth Volatis, I take it productivity on Dromund Kaas has increased."

Volatis frowned and said, "Actually, I felt I should tell you of an incident that occurred today."

Hatus' eyes narrowed, expecting bad news. "What incident?"

Volatis explained, "One of my guards almost raped a woman today for attempting to conceal a weapon."

"What?" Sinestro could not contain his outrage. "What happened?"

"He discovered that she was hiding a makeshift dagger in her clothes. He and some of the other guards stripped her, used the knife to kill another slave, and almost raped her with it. I intervened, but the guard killed her anyway."

Hatus frowned. "Is that all? You gave me the impression that a threat to our operation has arisen."

Sinestro's head whipped around in surprise. "You don't care that this happened? What good is a slave camp if keep killing our slaves?"

In response to Sinestro's remark, Volatis sneered at him. "It wasn't my idea. I gave the guards specific orders not to kill the slaves." She promised, "But it won't happen again. I will kill anyone who disobeys me again."

"You will do no such thing!" snapped Hatus. "Do you know how difficult it was for me to create those soldiers? Under no circumstances are you to kill them, or inflict permanent damage."

Volatis stared at him in a mixture of disbelief and disappointment. She had obviously been looking forward to killing the guard. "So I'm to do nothing? You expect me to let them continue killing?"

"I sent you to Dromund Kaas so that _you_ would take care of the problems. This happened under your watch, Volatis, so it's up to you to deal with it. Understood?"

Anger flashed in Volatis' eyes, but she bowed respectfully and replied, "Yes, Master. I'm sorry."

"Good. Now, deal with this problem, and don't call me again unless it's important." He did not wait for her to reply. He punched the button to end the transmission and leaned back in his chair.

Sinestro spoke up. "Forgive me, Lord Hatus, but I don't understand how you can be so calm about this. We cannot tolerate such behavior!"

"I told you there would have to be suffering before our goals can be achieved."

Sinestro growled, "How exactly does _that_ kind of suffering help us to achieve our goals?" In response to his tone, Hatus glared at his apprentice, prompting him to bow his head and say, "Forgive me, my lord. That was unnecessary."

Hatus waved him off and said, "Your sister will take care of it. I trust that she has things well under control."

* * *

It did not take long for the Jedi Council to make arrangements with Jagged Fel. Within a few days, a shuttle had departed from the Jedi Temple to rendezvous with Imperial forces. Luke Skywalker, still grieving for Ben, had decided to stay in the temple, so Ahsoka Tano was leading the mission. Jaina Solo was among the several Jedi who had been assigned to the mission. Looking around the bay of the shuttle, she recognized several Jedi with whom she had worked before. They were all powerful and skilled fighters, which was necessary when fighting Sith.

Jaina felt out of place. When Master Tano approached her for the mission, she said that Jaina was one of the best Jedi they had. While Jaina was flattered by the sentiment, she suspected that there was another reason she had been chosen. They probably wanted someone to accompany Jag not as a bodyguard, but as a liaison between him and the Jedi. They knew that Jag trusted Jaina more than any other Jedi, so it was an obvious choice. But Jaina wondered if they still would have given her this assignment if they had known the true nature of their relationship.

"What's on your mind, Jaina?"

Jaina looked up at Ahsoka and replied, "Nothing." Realizing what an unconvincing answer it was, she came up with another. "I just hope we kill the Sith."

Ahsoka frowned. "Killing isn't part of a Jedi's duties. It is a last resort only."

"I know. I just meant… for Ben." Jaina finished the sentence in a sad, soft voice.

After a couple seconds, Ahsoka bowed her head. "I understand, and I'd be the last person to shed a tear if Demood Elppirc dies. But I'd rather capture the Sith and try to interrogate them. We still have so many unanswered questions."

"What if we're not meant to know the answers? What if we don't like the answers? Wouldn't it be better if all of this were forgotten?"

Ahsoka's eyes widened in surprise. And then she smiled. "Those are very good questions, Jaina. And you're absolutely right; sometimes it's better not knowing the answers. However, that doesn't mean we should stop looking for them. Once we find them, we can judge for ourselves whether we want them or not. Do you want to know exactly what happened to Ben?"

The answer was immediate. "Of course."

"You may not like the answer. Do you still want to know?"

That answer took a little longer. "Yes. After everything that's happened to my family, I have too many questions floating around in my head. I would welcome any chance to get rid of just one." It was true. Jaina still lay awake some nights thinking about everyone she had lost over the years. Chewbacca, Anakin, Jacen, Mara, and now Ben. Could she, or anyone else, have done anything to change what happened to them? Could one small action have changed an entire course of events? Was there anything she could do to prevent the loss of another loved one?

At that moment, the shuttle pilot announced, "Approaching rendezvous coordinates. Dropping out of hyperspace… now." The blue tunnel of hyperspace was transformed into hundreds of streaks of light, which then reverted into specks that represented distant stars. A few seconds later, another ship dropped out of hyperspace next to the shuttle. It was Han Solo in his beat-up old freighter, the _Millennium Falcon_. He and Leia Organa-Solo had decided that they would rather travel in their own ship.

Everyone leaned forward in their seats to look out the forward viewport. A single Imperial Star Destroyer hovered in front of them. Jaina recognized it as Jag's personal ship, the _Gilad Pellaeon_ , named after the late Imperial Head of State, who was murdered by Tahiri Veila under Darth Caedus' orders.

Over the comm system, a voice said, "Incoming shuttle, please identify yourself."

The shuttle pilot responded, "This is shuttle J-358, requesting permission to board. We are the Jedi attached to the Zygerrian operation."

Half a moment later, the voice responded, "You are clear to land in the port hanger bay. Commander Fel is expecting you."

By then, the Star Destroyer had completely filled the viewport, with one of its large hanger bays growing from the center. Soon, Jaina was able to see inside. In addition to the TIE fighters and Imperial deck crew that normally littered the hanger, there was a procession of stormtroopers and officers lined up on either side of an empty landing space. Standing between them was Jagged Fel, dressed in a freshly-pressed white uniform.

Jaina stifled a laugh. Jag seemed to be treating this like a diplomatic visit, as though the Jedi were royalty. It was too much, and he most likely knew it. But Jag had always been one to take his job seriously; that's what made him an effective commander. The Empire viewed itself as a well-oiled machine, and in order for it to function, every cog must do exactly what it's supposed to. Unfortunately, that also meant every formality must be observed.

The shuttle settled down onto the deck, followed by the _Falcon_ , and the boarding ramps of both ships were lowered. One at a time, the Jedi disembarked from the shuttle. Jaina was one of the last to walk down the boarding ramp. By the time she had a clear view of Jag, Ahsoka was standing in front of him bowing her head. "Thank you for receiving us, Commander."

Jag replied, "It is an honor to have you here, Master Tano. I look forward to us working together."

"I wish it were under better circumstances. The Jedi cannot thank you enough for agreeing to help."

Jag noticed Jaina and smiled. "Jedi Solo convinced me of the threat. Not easily, I might add. I realize that the Sith could be a potential threat to all of us. With any luck, we can deal a critical blow before it comes to that."

"I just hope we're not too late. For all we know, the Sith could have already been to Zygerria."

"Then we'd better get moving." Jag pulled a communicator out of his pocket and pressed the button. "Bridge, this is Fel. Chart a course to Zygerria and make the hyperspace jump when ready."

A voice replied, "Yes, sir. It should only take a couple moments."

"Copy that. Keep me apprised." Jag put the communicator away and returned his attention to Ahsoka. "In the meantime, I have arranged for quarters to be prepared for you and your party. Some of you will have to double up, I'm afraid."

"That's fine," said Ahsoka. "Thank you." Before Jag could speak further, she added quickly, "Actually, Captain and Master Solo will not require quarters. They would like to stay aboard the _Falcon_ , if that's okay."

Jag smiled and replied, "I expected that would be the case. I have to go to the bridge, but Lieutenant Zodor here will escort you." He motioned to a young female officer who saluted Jag before leading the Jedi down a hallway. Jaina was about to join them when Jag took her arm and asked, "Jedi Solo, would you please wait for me in my office? There are some things I wish to discuss with you."

Jaina failed to hide her surprise. He was not wasting any time getting her alone with him. With a sly smile, she replied, "Of course, _Commander_. I'll be waiting." She set off down the hall in the opposite direction of the Jedi. She knew the way to Jag's office pretty well. She could find it on her own. Along the way, Imperial personnel gave her sideways glances as she passed them. No doubt, many of them had seen her before, maybe more than once. She would not have been surprised if they suspected what she and Jag had been doing.

Jaina was not concerned by what the officers thought. They knew that spreading dirty rumors about their Head of State was almost certainly career suicide. What worried Jaina was the fact that there were Jedi aboard the ship now, including Master Tano. If she, or any of the other masters, found out, Jaina would land in a heap of trouble.

A moment later, the _Pellaeon's_ PA announced, "Stand by for hyperspace jump." The walls and floor vibrated as the hyperdrive kicked in, launching the Star Destroyer into hyperspace. The crew did not realize however, that a cloaked ship had latched itself to their hull, and was being carried with it.

* * *

Jaina knew the passcode for Jag's office, so she let herself in and sat down on the sofa against the front wall. It occurred to her that she had a chance to play a joke on Jag. Because of the placement of the sofa, it could not be seen by someone who was walking through the door. With her Force-aided agility, Jaina thought she could sneak up behind Jag as he came in.

That is exactly what happened. Jaina flattened herself against the wall just as the door opened. Jag stepped into the office, and noticed that Jaina was not there. Just as he turned around, Jaina threw her arms around his neck and drew him into a deep, passionate kiss. After an initial yelp of surprise, Jag wrapped his arms around Jaina and invaded her mouth with his tongue.

All at once, all of Jaina's anxieties melted away. Here, in Jag's warm embrace, she could forget about the Jedi, the Sith, her family, and everything else in the galaxy. There was only her and Jag, entwined in their own private bubble in space, where nothing could reach them. The last time they were together, Jaina was seeking consolation after Ben's tragic death. In the month since then, her troubles, it seemed, had only grown.

When the kiss finally ended, Jag chuckled. "You really caught me by surprise, there."

Jaina smiled. "Just trying to keep things fun." She gave him another peck on the lips for good measure. "I had no idea how much I wanted to see you."

"Have things really gotten that bad?" He returned the kiss.

Jaina nodded. "Worse." She kissed him again.

"I'd be very interested to hear all about it." This time, he gave her two kisses, one on each cheek. "Why don't we lie on my _very_ comfortable sofa and we can… talk about it." He gave her one more long kiss on the lips.

"Hey, _I'm_ supposed to read _your_ mind!" Jaina released Jag long enough to shrug her Jedi cloak onto the floor. Then she pushed him onto the sofa and climbed on top of him. As she started to unbutton his uniform, she asked, "Where would you like me to begin?"

"I was thinking you could start with my face and then move downward from there."

Jaina laughed. "That's not what I was talking about! I meant what's been going on with the Jedi!"

Jag laughed with her. "Well, you could start with how you found this Sith Orb."

As they undressed each other, Jaina dove into her account of the events of the past year. She began by telling Jag about Admiral Mo'Ari's discovery of Jedi Master Demood Elppirc on the Dead Planet. She then told him about the ancient Jedi's dark history and the clue that led Ahsoka, Tahiri, and the others to Mustafar, where Zekk was severely wounded. She recounted her mission to Kamino with Sol Fadré and how she nearly died in the submerged Star Destroyer. Then, she summarized Luke and Ben's visit to the B'Omarr monks in the dungeons of Jabba's palace, and how they finally retrieved the Sith Orb.

But Jaina was then forced to reveal everything that went wrong after that: how the Jedi cured Elppirc only to discover that he was working with the Sith; how Master Fadré turned out to be a traitor and died helping the Sith escape with the orb; how the Jedi found the holotransmission implicating Jacen Solo in the Sith plot; how they tried to attack Dromund Kaas, where Ben was killed; and how they discovered that the Sith were behind the Outer Rim disappearances, leading them to Zygerria.

Jag listened intently to Jaina's story, even as he was running his hands over her nearly-naked body. He did not say a word until she was finished. Finally, he said, "Well, it looks like you were right; things _have_ gotten worse than I thought."

"I told you so." Jaina sighed in equal parts pleasure and relief. "Oh, it feels so good to finally be able to talk about everything. I had no idea how much it was all gnawing at me. You're such a good listener."

"Not really," joked Jag. "You just had me pinned down." They both laughed for a moment. By then, they were tired, so they just laid on the sofa for a while, resting in each other's arms. After a few moments of silence, Jag asked, "And Chancellor Dain has no idea about any of this?"

"He definitely suspects something, because, let's face it, he's always suspicious. But, we've been working hard to prevent any information leaks. If we're lucky, he'll never know the truth about any of this."

"What about after the Sith are defeated? Will the Jedi tell him then?"

Jaina paused. "I hadn't thought of that. In my opinion, I guess, we should never tell him. The less he knows, the better it is for us."

They continued resting for a few more minutes before Jag asked, "So, are you ready?"

"For what?"

"You know what." Jag spoke with a smile that Jaina had come to associate with their intimacy.

She nodded and prepared to take off the last of her clothes. "I'm more than ready."

* * *

AO-327 had seen enough to turn off the holofeed. Jagged Fel had deactivated the security cameras in his office, likely expecting that he and Jaina Solo would do what they inevitably did. However, once the _Deceased_ had attached itself to the _Gilad Pellaeon_ before it entered hyperspace, hacking into the security feed had been simple. Covering his tracks had posed more of a welcome challenge. His efforts finally paid off in the end, for he now had all of the information Don Dain wanted.

Jaina had spilled everything to Jag, and AO-327 had heard it all. Afterwards, he sat back in his chair for several minutes, processing it all. So, Demood Elppirc was alive. Somehow, he had survived the explosion AO-327 had witnessed during the Clone Wars. He looked forward to telling Dain about Elppirc's survival. With any luck, the shock might just kill him. And if it did not, the news that Sol Fadré had been a traitor might finish the job.

And then there was that "Sith Orb" thing. It was bad enough that the Jedi had mystical powers that they liked to wave in everyone else's faces. Now they wanted even more power, and then they were stupid enough to lose it to a crippled madman like Elppirc. Maybe Dain was right to suspect the Jedi. With all of the information AO-327 had gathered for him, he could kill the Jedi Order's reputation – for good.

* * *

Jaina woke up to the familiar chirping of a comlink. Jag stirred beside her and reached for his bedside table. After a few empty grabs, he finally found the comlink and pushed himself upright. He pressed the receive button and said, "This is Fel."

The voice of the _Gilad Pellaeon's_ captain reported, "Commander, we have arrived at Zygerria. Scans indicate no unusual activity."

"Good," Jag replied. "Keep us in orbit and prepare the ground troops for deployment. I'm on my way to the bridge."

"Yes sir. Bridge out." With that, the transmission was cut off.

Jag got out of his bed and began to get dressed. Jaina sat up and groaned, "I wish we could stay here a little longer."

"So do I," replied Jag, buttoning his uniform, "but we have a more important job to do."

After they were both redressed, Jag went to the Star Destroyer's bridge. Jaina waited a few minutes before following to avoid raising suspicions. When she arrived, Jag was talking to Ahsoka, Han, and Leia. Jaina wondered if her mother had been able to sense through the Force what she and Jag had been doing. It did not appear that she did. Jag finished saying, "…then we'll set up a perimeter around the city and wait for the Sith to arrive."

Han then picked up the conversation. "As soon as we see their ship, Leia and I will break in and try to steal its data files. With any luck, they'll be too distracted by the rest of our forces to notice us. Once we have the files, we'll signal you."

Ahsoka nodded. "We'll keep the Sith busy as long as we can, but, if we decide that there's no way we can win, we'll order a retreat. Hopefully, Captain Solo will have finished working by then."

Han threw up his hands in exaggerated shock. "What? You doubt me?"

Ahsoka smiled at Han. "On the contrary, I have great faith in your abilities." Addressing the rest of the room, she said, "Sounds like we have a solid plan. But we'd better launch now. The Sith could be here at any time."

* * *

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Darth Hatus looked around as he and Darth Sinestro were led through the Zygerrian royal palace. Everything was ornate and beautiful, cleverly masking the infamy of its denizens. It nearly made Hatus sick. His hatred of the Zygerrians ran almost as deep as his hatred of the Jedi. Who were these beasts to think they could enslave innocent beings _simply for money_? At least the Sith had a good reason for what they were doing. They were enslaving people so that, one day, they could finally live in an ordered galaxy, ruled by a man with the power to vanquish his enemies with a wave of his hand.

Two feline Zygerrian guards led the Sith lords into the throne room. Like the rest of the palace, it was disgustingly lavish, being lined with stone plinths, tapestries, and large potted ferns. At the far end of the hall was a large window and a series of pyramidal steps that led up to the throne, upon which sat King Gatton, a tall male Zygerrian with bright red fur. When he saw the Sith, his golden eyes narrowed, his large, cat-like ears twitched, and he bared his fangs. Clearly, he was no more pleased to see Hatus than Hatus was to see him.

Hatus stopped at the foot of the stairs and lightly leaned on his cane. "King Gatton."

The king purred, "Lord Hatus. I can only imagine your reason for being here _this_ time."

"We have come to procure more slaves."

"Yes, of course you have. After all, we have not given you enough. We have not sold you most of our stock. Our other customers are not complaining about the slave shortage. Our business with you has not caused us more trouble than it's worth. So of _course_ you can have more slaves!"

Hatus bristled at Gatton's blatant sarcasm. "You know very well that we cannot keep kidnapping people without the Alliance noticing. Our business with you is crucial to achieving our ultimate goal."

"And when will that goal be reached? When can we expect trade to resume as normal?"

"When the Alliance has fallen, and the Jedi are dead."

"And I suppose you will make us an integral part of your new order? We walked down that same road with the Empire, decades ago. Look how well they kept their end of the bargain. Well I am putting my foot down." Gatton stood up and sneered down at Hatus. "Our business with you is concluded. We will not sell you any more slaves!"

Hatus smiled maliciously. "Oh, you misunderstand. I did not come to _buy_ more slaves. I came here to _take_ them."

There was a moment of tense silence before Gatton and his royal guards started laughing. "You and what army?"

"I don't need an army; I have this." Hatus reached into his cloak and pulled out the Sith Orb. The Zygerrians stopped laughing and stared at the glowing orb, enraptured by its swirling red eddies. Hatus continued, "This is the most powerful artifact in the galaxy. Unless you cooperate, I will use it."

Gatton laughed again at the seemingly empty threat. But his laughter was abruptly cut short when bolts of lightning arced from the orb and hit all of the guards in the room. The guards were instantly vaporized, much to Gatton's shock and anger.

Hatus repeated his warning. "That is only a taste of what I can do with this orb. Unless you want to die as well, you will do exactly as I say."

Gatton weighed his options. He did not become King simply because he had wealth and power. He was also intelligent enough to know when a threat was real. After a moment, he agreed. "Fine. You may take the slaves we already have here in the city."

The Sith lord gave another evil smile. "Actually, I'm not here for your slaves; I'm here to take your _people_ as slaves."

* * *

Ahsoka Tano, the Jedi strike team, and the stormtroopers formed a circle around the city. At the first sign of trouble, they had orders to move in and engage the Sith on sight. From the _Gilad Pellaeon_ in orbit, Jagged Fel and Jaina Solo monitored the operation. The Star Destroyer's scanners were constantly sweeping the city, showing the position of every person, building, and vehicle. So far, however, there was no sign of the Sith.

Then, as Jaina studied the holomap, she noticed something. "There! That's the Sith's ship!" She indicated a ship on one of the royal palace's landing pads.

Jag looked where Jaina was pointing and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes! That's the same ship they used to escape from Dain's inauguration and the Jedi Temple! The Sith are already here!"

With renewed alertness, Jag began barking out orders for Imperial forces to invade the city. Similarly, Jaina raised Ahsoka on her comlink.

* * *

Ahsoka was waiting patiently outside the city, reminiscing on her last visit during the Clone Wars. It was not a pleasant memory. Suddenly, Jaina's alarmed voice sounded from her wrist comm. "The Sith's ship is on the landing platform at the royal palace. They're inside the city!"

Ahsoka yelled to the other Jedi, "Move into the city, now!" At once, the Jedi and stormtroopers ran through the city gates, weapons held aloft. As she ran alongside Han and Leia Solo, Ahsoka shouted, "Their ship is on the landing platform at the royal palace. You'll have to work quickly."

Han replied proudly, "Not a problem! I have hacked nav-computers in my sleep!"

Leia joked, "He's not lying," before she and her husband sped away.

Zygerrians filled the streets, going about their daily lives until they saw the armored troops pointing blasters in every direction. Suddenly panicked, the people began to scream and run toward the nearest shelter. As Ahsoka ran, she yelled, "Everyone, get back inside! There are dangerous fugitives in the city. You're all in danger!"

* * *

King Gatton's mouth hung agape. Clearly, this insult was more than he could handle. "How dare you? Zygerrians have always been slavers, but never slaves! You cannot do this! I won't let you!"

Darth Hatus shook his head. "You're wrong, Gatton. You have no power to stop me." He extended a closed fist, and Gatton began gasping for breathing, clawing at his throat. Hatus was choking him with the Force. He continued, "For thousands of years, your people have kidnapped innocent beings, enslaved them, and sold them to cruel masters. And for what? Money? You think you can tear away our loved ones so you can make a profit? Well, it's time you knew how it feels. I will take every last Zygerrian man, woman and child to our bases, make them work all day, every day, watch them beg for food and water, and kill them if they can't work anymore."

Struggling with every word, Gatton rasped, "No! Don't… hurt… my… people! I'll… do… anything!"

In a low voice, Hatus growled, "There's nothing you can do to make up for what you've done." He unclenched his fist, and Gatton slumped to the ground, gasping for air. He looked up at Hatus, eyes wide with fear. The Sith Lord held the orb aloft and said, "Now, witness the extent of my power." He took in a deep breath, and then blew on the orb. As he did so, a massive jet of flame erupted from it in Gatton's direction. The Zygerrian screamed as he died a fiery death.

As the flames hit the window, the jet diverted into two equally-massive jets that quickly ran the perimeter of the room. Sinestro recoiled as the entire throne room was engulfed in flames. But, for some reason, they never reached the two Sith. It was as though the orb was simultaneously creating a shield around them, protecting them from the carnage is was causing. Above the roar of the flames, Sinestro could hear Hatus' maniacal laughter.

* * *

Ahsoka was thrown ten meters backwards as the royal palace exploded. In her disorientation, she heard Zygerrians screaming. When she managed to sit up, she was shocked by what she saw. The palace was gone. In its place was a fifty-meter bonfire. The Zygerrians were frozen in place, devastated by the sight of their greatest landmark consumed by fire. Ahsoka tried to figure out what had happened. Had the Sith placed a bomb in the palace? Perhaps, but it seemed unlikely. She had witnessed many explosions in her long life, but none of them had ever resulted in such a fire. Something else was causing this.

* * *

Alarms sounded on the bridge of the _Gilad Pellaeon_. Jaina was still staring at the holomap when the royal palace exploded, launching holographic debris clear off the map, causing her and Jag to instinctively duck. Remembering that it was a harmless hologram, they stood up again and stared at the column of flame where the palace used to be.

"What just happened?" demanded Jag.

One of the bridge officers responded, "I have no idea, sir. It appears that a bomb went off inside the palace, but we detected none on our scans."

"Could it be a bomb that's invisible to scanners?"

The officer paused as he thought about it. "It's possible."

Jaina studied the flames. "I don't think this was a bomb. I have never seen anything like this."

"Then what could it be?" asked Jag.

Jaina shook her head, indicating that she did not know. "I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

AO-327 awoke to the sound of an alarm. The _Deceased_ was still attached to the _Gilad Pellaeon_ , and he had a clear view of Zygerria from the forward viewport. There was an unusually bright spot in the center of the capital city. Adjusting his cybernetic eyes, he zoomed in and saw the flames that marked where the royal palace had been. Had the Jedi destroyed the palace? He doubted it, no matter what Dain might have thought.

Examining the fire more closely, AO-327 noticed that the flames seemed to be twisting in a very slight clockwise direction – too slight for normal eyes to notice. In fact, the twisting appeared to be accelerating. If it continued to accelerate, it would become a full-blown twister in less than a minute. But, how was that possible? He did not detect anything that would cause such a phenomenon. Obviously, there were forces at work beyond anyone's comprehension.

* * *

Ahsoka's gaze was transfixed on the bonfire until her wristcom beeped. Pressing the answer button, she said, "This is Tano."

The voice from the comm replied, "This is Leia. Do you know what just happened?"

Ahsoka shook her head, even though Leia could not see it. "I have no idea. The palace just exploded. Although, I have a feeling that the Sith are behind this."

"Well, the explosion took the landing platform with it – and the Sith ship."

Shocked by this news, Ahsoka exclaimed, "What? Are you sure?"

This time, Han's voice spoke over the comm. "Of course we're sure! We're looking at what's left of the platform now! There's no way I can get any data now!"

"This doesn't make sense. Why would the Sith destroy their own ship? How did they plan to get off the planet?"

Leia suggested, "Maybe they have another ship hidden somewhere or coming… to pick them up." Her speech slowed as she realized what she was suggesting. The Sith could have reinforcements on their way.

Ahsoka ordered, "Get back to the staging area. We'll decide what to do there."

"Copy that. Leia out." The transmission was cut off, and Ahsoka was left to stare at the bonfire once more.

As she did so, it soon became apparent that the flames were forming a twister. The wind picked up, and everyone began to feel its tug. Small objects were sucked into the fire. Zygerrians, suddenly aware of the danger, began to run away from the accelerating inferno. Ahsoka yelled into her wrist comm, "Get everyone out of the city, NOW! There's a fire twister where the palace used to be, and it's going to suck everything in! Go door-to-door if you have to; just get everyone out!"

She did not wait for acknowledgement. She ran to the nearest building and pushed open the door, yelling for anyone inside to get out of the city. She then did the same for the building next to it, and every building after that. Zygerrians were running from their homes, carrying their most valued possessions. The wind was even stronger now, and adults had to hold onto their children to keep them from being sucked into the inferno.

Ahsoka took off her billowing cloak and watched it fly into the vortex. She noticed that the twister was growing radially, strengthening as it did so. In addition, it was beginning to send out flares that set fire to the surrounding structures. Ahsoka knew that they were out of time. If they did not get out immediately, they would all die. She activated her wrist comm and said, "Don't bother rounding up any more citizens. We're out of time. Just get yourselves out."

Ahsoka was about to run when she heard someone screaming. She turned around and saw a Zygerrian toddler through the window of a burning house. Ahsoka wanted to save the child, but if she did, then she probably would not make it out alive. She also knew that she had no time to waste arguing with herself. She needed to make a quick decision.

She decided to run into the burning building, using the Force to push the flames aside as she made her way towards the child. She was completely blinded by smoke, but she could hear the child's screams and sense obstacles through the Force. Just as she picked up the child, the roof was torn off, and debris began to fly through the air. Ahsoka bravely charged towards the front door, using the Force to divert rubble before it could hit her.

When she exited the building, she ran as fast as she could, drawing upon the Force for extra speed. The fiery twister was expanding at a much faster rate – too fast for anyone without aid from the Force. All around her, Zygerrians and stormtroopers were being pulled into the flames, screaming as they desperately grasped for handholds that were, inevitably, pulled in with them. The wind was so strong now that Ahsoka had to fight her every step. Suddenly, she slipped and fell, and slid across the ground towards the inferno.

Ahsoka squeezed the child under one arm, using the other to grab the corner of a building that was starting to separate from its foundation. But with only one hand, her grip was too loose. Thinking quickly, she pushed off against the side of the building just as she let go. Her calculations were correct. She and the child were now pinned against the front of another building. Planting her feet against the wall, she leapt with all of the Force power she could muster. But it was not enough to escape the pull of the cyclone.

In that moment, Ahsoka realized that she would not be getting out of this one. The Zygerrian child must have realized it, too, for he was sobbing into Ahsoka's chest. She held the boy tight, squeezed her eyes shut, and prepared herself for the end. With a deafening _boom_ , the building was ripped from the ground, and Ahsoka felt herself fly through the hot air for what seemed like a minute. Then, there was nothing.

* * *

It was not until after the deafening roar had subsided that Sinestro finally opened his eyes. He and Hatus had been in the center of the twister, protected from its fiery wrath by the Sith Orb. Hatus was leaning against his cane, panting heavily from exertion, yet Sinestro did not even bother to ask his master if he was alright. Instead, he stared at the ruin surrounding them. The entire capital city was now comprised of broken, blackened stone walls, an ashy snowfall, and Zygerrian skeletons that had not been entirely incinerated.

Sinestro walked slowly through the ruin, looking around at the orb's handiwork. He wondered, was it the orb, or Hatus? Hatus had promised that there would be no unnecessary suffering. But hundreds of innocents had just met a terrible fate, and thousands more were now homeless. How could that possibly be considered necessary? Sinestro turned around to look at Hatus, and was shocked to see that he was smiling at the destruction he had caused. Smiling!

And then, Hatus pulled out a comlink and pressed the call button. He only said two words: "Take them."

* * *

Jaina stared at the holomap, her mouth agape. Most of the Jedi, stormtroopers, and Zygerrians had escaped, but the city was gone. Where ornate buildings had once stood, now only blackened shells remained under a layer of ash. Standing beside Jaina, Jag was equally flabbergasted. He only half-listened to his officers' as they bustled around him, giving their reports. Only one of those reports was serious enough to break Jag from his thoughts. An unidentified fleet had just dropped out of hyperspace.

Upon hearing this announcement, Jag and Jaina looked out the forward viewport of the _Pellaeon's_ bridge. Five ships, each of them almost as large as the Star Destroyer itself, were pointed at Zygerria. Jaina did not recognize their design. The rear half of each ship was saucer-shaped with four large engines – two protruding from the top face, two from the bottom – and a T-shaped command tower running along the centerline. The front half was rectangular with a narrow hexagonal front profile and four trapezoidal outcroppings spaced evenly along either side, giving it the appearance of a double-edged saw. Quad-laser turrets were affixed atop and underneath each outcropping, and there were probably more weapons that the Imperials could not see. Whoever these ships belonged to, they were more than well-equipped to destroy the _Gilad Pellaeon_.

"Commander," called an officer, "There's a situation on the planet."

Jaina wanted to ask, "Now what?" but decided to hold her tongue. Instead, she and Jag looked at the holomap and were surprised to see about fifty life forms converging on the group of survivors outside the ruins of the capital city. Maybe they were Zygerrians from other cities coming to provide aid. Those hopes were dashed when icons representing survivors began to wink out of existence. These newcomers were killing people!

Suddenly, the _Pellaeon_ shook violently from multiple impacts. The recently-arrived battlecruisers were firing on the Star Destroyer. "Status report!" demanded Jag.

An officer at one of the tactical stations reported, "Sir, our shields can't withstand this much firepower! We have approximately ten minutes before they're drained completely!"

"Return fire!" ordered Jag. "Target the nearest ship. We need to buy as much time as we can get."

"Time for what?" asked Jaina, although she already knew the answer.

"Time for our ground forces to return to the ship. We need to leave."

"But the Sith _are_ here! We saw Sinestro in our vision! And that inferno could only have been caused by the Sith Orb! We have to destroy it!"

"We're outnumbered and outgunned. If we stay here, we're all going to die!" Adopting a more gentle tone, Jag added, "I'm sorry we came all this way for nothing, Jaina. But we'll get the Sith sooner or later."

Jaina knew Jag was right. She just needed to hear him say it so that she knew retreating was the right decision. She got on her comlink and said, "All ground forces, return to your dropships immediately. We're under attack by enemy vessels. Full retreat. Repeat: Full retreat."

* * *

When Ahsoka regained consciousness, she was pinned beneath a slab of stone that had once been part of a wall. Most of her body ached, her head worst of all. She thought back to her last memories, trying to determine what had happened. She remembered being trapped against the building while the inferno threatened to swallow her. Then, the building was ripped from its foundations and Ahsoka felt herself being pulled into the twister.

And then she remembered; the cyclone had actually exploded at the last second, and the force of the blast had thrown Ahsoka away from the city, protected from the fire by the wall of the building. Using the Force, she lifted the rubble off of her and gingerly stood up. There was some kind of noise around her that, to her damaged ears, sounded like a soft whine. But as her hearing improved, she could begin to make out distinct sounds. First, she heard screaming. Then, blasterfire. Then, the low humming of multiple lightsabers.

When her eyes regained their focus, Ahsoka could clearly see the chaos around her. The remaining Jedi and stormtroopers were engaged in a heated battle with a few dozen figures in black armor. The unidentified soldiers each carried a blaster rifle with red ax blades protruding from either side of the barrel. A closer examination showed that the ax blades were actually energy blades, and the soldiers were using them to block stormtroopers' blaster bolts and defend against Jedi lightsabers.

One of the warriors noticed Ahsoka and charged at her, holding the grip of his rifle in his left hand. As he swung his weapon at her, she ignited one of her lightsabers and the axe bounced harmlessly off her blade. Then, she ignited her second lightsaber and drove it through his gut. As the warrior fell, Ahsoka got her first good look at his face beneath his helm. And she was shocked.

It was a Sith. An actual member of the ancient Sith species, which had been extinct for thousands of years. She had seen enough historical holoimages to recognize the red skin, long tendrils, pointed teeth, and yellow eyes that were characteristic of the species. Looking around, she realized that all of the attackers were Sith. They fought fiercely, using their superior strength and agility to take down their foes, roaring with every kill.

One by one, stormtroopers were either shot or dismembered by the Sith, and even a few Jedi proved to be no match for the seasoned fighters. Zygerrian refugees ran panicked, trying to escape the Sith. But it was no use. The Sith brought them all down with nonlethal stun bolts. It was then that Ahsoka remembered that there had been a child with her. She looked around desperately, but the child was nowhere in sight. He had either been killed in the explosion, or shot by a Sith.

Ahsoka had no time to mourn the child's loss. Through her wrist comm, she heard Jaina's voice, full of regret, saying, "All ground forces, return to your dropships immediately. We're under attack by enemy vessels. Full retreat. Repeat: Full retreat."

Ahsoka did not question the order. To everyone left standing, she yelled, "Full retreat! Fall back to the dropships!" The remaining Jedi and stormtroopers turned and ran towards the ships that had brought them to the surface, cutting through and shooting back at the Sith as they ran. The Zygerrians tried to go with them, but they were not trained to dodge blasterfire. Most of the ships had been destroyed by the Sith by the time the survivors returned to them. But the remaining ships had enough capacity to carry her, Han, Leia, and the five Jedi and twenty-odd stormtroopers that made it on board. None of the Zygerrians made it; they had all been stunned.

As the ships took off and returned to the _Gilad Pellaeon_ , Ahsoka looked back at the trail of unconscious Zygerrians lying outside the burned ruins of the capital city. There was no doubt in her mind that the Sith were going to enslave them, along with all of the other people who had gone missing over the past few months. Perhaps if the Jedi had come sooner, or brought more troops, this disaster could have been averted. They might have even succeeded in trapping and killing the Sith. But the entire mission had been a complete and utter failure.

* * *

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	14. Chapter 13

This chapter contains material that may be too scary for some readers.

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

Ben Skywalker woke to the low rumble of thunder and the rapid pattering of rain on the roof. It was going to be yet another stormy day on Dromund Kaas. The base-wide alarm had not sounded yet, so most of the slaves were still asleep. But some, Ben noticed, were lying awake, dreading the potential horrors the day would bring. It had been several days since the near-rape of the poor Twi'lek woman, but the memory had not faded from anyone's mind. Slaves were giving the Sith an even wider berth than usual, if that was even possible; females more so than males.

Everyone jumped at once when the alarm sounded abruptly, hurrying towards the entrance to the shack to receive their daily assignments. When Ben walked through the door, he looked up at the sky. He would have sworn it was still nighttime, based on how dark it was. But he knew that on this part of the planet, the stormy season had just begun, and the days were almost at their shortest. Still, everything about the planet was depressing, and its effects had already begun to weigh down on everyone. Even the Sith were in a worse mood than usual, and many of them were clearly itching for another chance to enjoy a female slave.

Every night, when he closed his eyes, Ben could still see the Twi'lek woman as though she were right in front of him. He always saw her sprawled on the ground, trying to hide her nakedness, sobbing as the Sith guard approached her with the knife. After that, the dreams were always different. Sometimes, the Sith used the knife to carve her into pieces for the slaves' stew; others, he stuck the knife in the most disturbing places; or else, several Sith were on her all at once. And Ben always woke up wondering what he could have done to save her.

He was jolted out of his thoughts by a hard smack to the face. While he was thinking, the overseer had been trying to get his attention. "Pay attention, scum! Just for that, you're on disposal duty today!"

Ben, clutching his swollen cheek, nodded meekly and said, "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." He trudged away to go do his job, but froze when he realized that he did not know what his job was. He had never heard of disposal duty. He did not dare ask the overseer; there was no reason to make him angrier at him than he already was. Ben hung back for a few seconds until the overseer assigned another slave to disposal duty. When that happened, Ben followed that slave, who looked downright terrified of something.

The slave led Ben to a warehouse he had never been in before. He wondered what was inside. Dozens of slaves from throughout the camp were gathered in front of the doors, just as terrified as the one he had followed. Ben guessed that they were afraid of whatever was inside the warehouse. Perhaps disposal duty was when the slaves had to get rid of the garbage that must accumulate quickly in the camp. Maybe they were afraid of the smell? No, the kitchens smelled worse than anything. Maybe there were rats or insects that fed on the trash – or maybe even a dianoga?

Two Sith guards pulled the massive warehouse doors apart, revealing its contents. Ben almost threw up instantly. The smell was worse than the kitchens, and not even a dianoga was nearly as scary. He beheld a three-meter-tall mound of dead, naked, rotting slaves. There must have been hundreds, if not thousands, of bodies piled unceremoniously on top of each other, splayed out in unnatural poses. The ones on top appeared fresh, including the Twi'lek woman, but the ones at the bottom had decayed beyond recognition. Ben realized that this warehouse was where the Sith took all of the slaves who died in the camp. It then occurred to him that, somewhere in that pile, was Nysilla's mother, Mari Zabeth.

One of the Sith yelled, "Don't just stand there! The generators aren't going to fuel themselves!"

Generators? They were using the bodies as fuel to power the base! Just when Ben thought that the Sith could not go any lower….

One by one, each slave entered the warehouse, picked up a body, and then left. From his place in line, Ben hoped beyond hope that something, anything, would happen that would prevent him from having to carry out this grizzly chore. But the line shortened every few seconds until he was at the front of it, faced with an unforeseen choice. Which body should he choose? The light body of a child, or the still-light-but-not-as-light body of a starved adult? One that was fresh, or one that had been waiting for disposal longer? None of them was desirable.

"Hurry up, already!" barked the Sith guard, threateningly enough to spur Ben into action. He picked up the first body his hands touched. It was a fresh body of a grown alien male – he did not recognize the species. He slid his hands underneath the body, trying to avoid touching it, or the surrounding bodies, in any undignified ways. When he stuck his arms deep enough into the pile, he felt the skin of a rotting body underneath begin to slough off, which made Ben vomit all over the body he had chosen. The guard did not care; he just continued to yell orders. Ben lifted the body out of the pile and followed the other slaves.

It was a long trek to the generators on the other side of the base. Since everyone else was busy working elsewhere, very few slaves saw the procession. But those who were still outside stopped dead in their tracks to stare. Ben kept his eyes glued to the ground half a meter in front of him, not bearing to look anyone in the eyes. When they reached the generators, another Sith was waiting for them.

For the first time, Ben had a chance to study the devices that powered the Sith base. They were large, powerful machines that could run for days, maybe a week, without refueling. In front of the generators were large furnaces that fed directly into the generators. Ben was no expert, but he could guess easily enough how they worked. The generators could convert heat from the furnaces into electrical energy, store it, and then slowly release it into the base's power grid. They were not nearly as powerful as reactors, but they were virtually undetectable to any scanners that happened to be pointed at Dromund Kaas.

The Sith opened the doors to the furnaces, and the slaves recoiled as the intense fires roared at them. After recovering from the heat, one by one, the slaves tossed their bodies into the flames. Soon, it was Ben's turn. He stopped in front of the furnace, stared first at the roaring fire and then at the body he held, and then, squeezing his eyes shut, shoved the body into the furnace.

Even though his eyes were closed, Ben could still feel the flash of heat and the heightened roar caused by the body landing in the flames. But the most overpowering thing was the smell. He had heard stories describing the vomit-inducing smell of burning flesh, but none of them came close to what Ben experienced in that moment. And he suspected that, had he chosen a rotted body, the smell would have been much worse.

Ben had no time to pay his respects to the dead, for he and the other slaves were sent back to the warehouse for more bodies. For the rest of the day, Ben was forced to carry the bodies of men, women, and children of various species. He tried not to look at their faces, but he could never seem to resist. During the long march to the furnaces, he could not help but imagine a story for each victim. Who were they? Where did they come from? How did they die? What did they do on their homeworlds? Did they have family and friends? If so, what happened to them? Would anyone miss them, wonder what had happened to them, or even notice that they were gone? Every story was different, but they all ended the same; burning unceremoniously in a furnace.

Night was falling, rain was pouring, and the furnaces had almost reached full power. Ben and the slaves only had to fetch one more batch of bodies before returning to their quarters. By then, all of the bodies left in the warehouse were about a week old, and decay had already set in noticeably. When it was Ben's turn to choose a body, he saw a young human girl with long, black hair curled up in a fetal position with her naked back facing him. She appeared to be the least decayed of the surrounding bodies, so he chose her.

Not wanting to pick her up with one arm beneath her rear end, Ben unfolded her legs so that he could place his arm under her knees instead. As he did so, the body shifted and rolled towards him. He was about to let her roll into his arms when her face came into view. At that moment, Ben was shocked to realize that he knew her. It was Allana Solo.

At least, it _looked_ like Allana. The girl's resemblance to Ben's cousin was so uncanny that he thought it actually might be her. Her height, age, and skin color were all identical to Allana's. But, more than that, they had the same face. The same gray eyes that had stared at him happily so many times before were staring at him once again. But they were not happy. They were cold, unblinking, and empty, as though they were accusing Ben of not coming to her rescue.

Ben was so stunned that he accidently let the girl's body roll onto the ground. Immediately, the Sith guard yelled, "Pick it up! You've made your choice!" Ben knelt down, picked up the body, and joined the line of slaves marching to the furnaces. As he walked, Ben let his mind wander. If this girl was Allana, how did she get captured? Had the Sith made their way to Coruscant? Had the Jedi been defeated? Had the rest of Ben's family been captured – or worse? Ben had been gone for so long; who knew what he had missed? If had not been trapped in the slave camp, he could have helped everyone.

At last, he arrived at the furnaces. The rest of the slaves shoved their bodies into the fires and returned sullenly to their quarters. But Ben lingered, staring at the girl's face. He used his fingers to close her eyelids, not bearing to have those gray eyes staring darkly at him anymore. Maybe she was not Allana, but Ben still felt heartbroken for her. She had once had parents who loved her, but were now either dead or grieving for their lost child. Choking back tears, Ben whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry…" There was so much more he wanted to say, but no more words came out of his mouth. He slowly fed the girl's body into the furnace. He tried to squeeze his eyes shut, but something forced him to watch as flames consumed her, slowly reducing her to ash.

With his job finished, Ben headed back to his hut, the horrors of that day still fresh in his mind. The face of the first body he had been forced to carry flashed in front of his eyes. And then it flashed again. And again, and again. The next time, it lingered for several seconds, obscuring his vision. The face stared at him, and Ben could make out every fine detail until it burst into flames, blinding him with light. When his vision finally returned to normal, Ben realized that he had deviated from the path to his shack. Correcting himself, he continued on in the right direction.

But then the other faces started to appear, each one as vividly detailed as the one before. And they all disappeared in the same fiery manner, after which Ben had to correct his direction. As the faces became more and more frequent, it became harder for him to maintain his sense of direction. Flash. One Coruscanti, two Coruscanti. Flash. One Coruscanti. Flash. One– Flash. Flash. Flash, flash, flash, flash flash flash flash flashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflashflash

THUNK!

The images stopped abruptly as Ben fell into the mud, and he looked up to see what he had walked into. His eyes widened in fear and he began scrambling backwards when he saw the Sith guard towering over him with an angry expression on his face. "Watch where you're going, slave scum!"

"I-I-I'm s-sorry!" stammered Ben.

The guard hulked towards him and said, "Maybe I need to teach you a lesson about bumping into people!" He unclipped the electrowhip from his belt, activated it, and raised it over his head.

Suddenly stricken with fear, Ben cried, "No, please! I'm sorry! I won't ever do it again, I promise! Just please don't hurt me! Please!" Tears streamed from his eyes and he shivered in the mud.

The guard hesitated and began to laugh. It was not a laugh of malice, but of amusement. Other Sith nearby joined in, and, soon, Ben's ears were filled with the sound of uproarious laughter. For a moment, he wondered what they were laughing at, but then it hit him; they were laughing at his cowardice. Looking around, he saw dozens of slaves staring at him piteously. But he was a Jedi! No one should ever have to take pity on him! Ben had never been more humiliated in his life.

The first guard put away his whip, pointed to the side with his thumb, and, still laughing, said, "Go on, get out of here!" Without hesitation, Ben jumped to his feet and ran away, stumbling through the rain and slipping in the mud. The guards' laughter chased him all the way back to the shack. But Ben barely heard it. He was too busy trying to register what had just happened. Had he really just begged for mercy? Jedi never begged! Did this mean he was no longer a Jedi? Had the Sith broken him, just like they had broken the other slaves? Had he been reduced to a feeble boy destined to die at the hands of these slavers, rapists, and murderers?

Through the rain and the dizziness, with only the constant flashes of lightning to guide him, Ben stumbled his way back to the shack he had been forced to call home. When he burst through the doorway, he could barely make out the shapes of the other slaves, depressed by their own experiences. He could not see their faces, so he unintentionally imagined faces onto them. They were the faces of the dead slaves he had carried to the furnace, and they were all staring at him. His heart pounded faster and harder in his chest, and his breathing became quicker and heavier. A girl with Allana's face asked, "Ben, are you okay?" and he instantly fainted.

* * *

It took Ben a few seconds to realize that he had awoken. There were no lights in the shack, so everything was dark. But, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could make out the figure of a person hovering over him. He quickly realized that it was Nysilla Zabeth, and his head was in her lap, looking up at her. Groaning, he pushed himself up, and Nysilla held onto his shoulders, giving him extra support.

They were sitting on Nysilla's bench, which still had straw and a blanket on it. She had used her blanket to cover the straw so Ben would not be itchy, and had taken the blanket from Ben's bench to cover him with so he would not be cold. And her legs served as what seemed to be the most comfortable pillow ever. It all amounted to the closest thing to a bed that Ben had had in a long time.

As soon as he was sitting upright, Ben felt dizzy and let his head drop onto Nysilla's shoulder. She shushed him and whispered, "It's okay, just relax." She reached over and brought a cup of water to Ben's lips. He sipped it slowly, relishing the feel of the cool rainwater trickling down his throat. His dizziness faded, and he was able to sit upright again. Nearly all of the slaves were asleep, and the rain and thunder had stopped. It was surprisingly peaceful. Nysilla asked, "What happened to you?"

The question caught Ben off guard. What _had_ happened to him? He could not remember. He thought back to when he had woken up that morning, and followed the progression of events that followed. And then he remembered the warehouse, the bodies, and the furnace. He told Nysilla everything. When he talked about the girl who looked like Allana, he began to cry. "She looked just like her. What if it _was_ Al– Amelia?" He stopped himself from using his cousin's real name. "What if the Sith came to my home and took everyone? What if my entire family is dead?"

Nysilla, who had begun to cry as well, said, "I can't imagine going through what you did. It's not fair." She rested her head on his shoulder and began to stroke his bare back.

In that instant, Ben felt an unfamiliar warmth flow through his body. It was as though Nysilla's touch had awakened new feelings in him. Almost without meaning to, he placed his hand on her back and stroked through the soft fabric of her tattered nightgown. He felt an immediate reaction from her. After stiffening from the initial touch, her muscles relaxed, and the two young adults continued to hold each other. A minute later, they had stopped crying, and the entire hut was silent.

Nysilla whispered, "Maybe things will get better. Like you said, maybe the Jedi will come for us."

Ben shook his head sadly. "Who was I kidding? If the Jedi were coming, they would have been here by now. It's time to face facts; no one is coming." This was not part of his cover identity. He had felt this way for a while, and now, after the horrors of the previous day, Ben knew it in his heart. The Jedi had given him up for dead, and they were probably too busy with their own problems to care about scattered disappearances in the Outer Rim. "We're going to be stuck here until we die." Hearing himself confess this out loud, Ben resumed crying. The Sith really had broken him.

Nysilla looked up at him and replied, "We're not dead yet. Until we are, we have to rely on each other for strength." Ben looked down at her and gazed into her eyes. For the first time, he realized that they were the most beautiful shade of green. In return, Nysilla stared into his eyes, and she continued in a soft whisper, "You're all I have left. I'll fight for my life as long as you're with me."

It took Ben a few seconds to process these words. In that short time, he and Nysilla continued to gaze into each other's eyes, their hands still stroking each other's backs. Ben whispered, "So will I." With newfound confidence, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. He half-expected her to recoil, but she did not. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

Ben had never kissed a girl before, so he was awash in a wave of brand-new feelings. He forgot all about the Sith, the slave camp, and even the Jedi. All that mattered to him now was this beautiful young woman in his arms with their lips pressed together. Now feeling even more confident, he lay down on the bench, pulling Nysilla down on top of him. She did not object or resist in any way. Like him, she was too caught up in the moment to think about anything else but the two of them together.

* * *

This has to be one of the most intense, emotional chapters I have ever written! I spent weeks trying to get the wording just right, adding as many details as possible. As I proofread it, I felt like crying! That's how I know I've written a good story; when I read it and feel the same emotions as other readers. If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"In the aftermath of the tragedy on Zygerria, citizens are still asking questions as to what exactly happened. The Alliance Intelligence Department has launched a full-scale inquiry, but has refused to provide any information at this time. However, Senator Zom Shorell, representative of Zygerria released the following statement earlier today."

A very angry-looking Zygerrian male appeared on the holodisplay. "No one escaped the horror of the raid on our beautiful capital city. What few survivors were recovered from beneath the rubble are now hospitalized, homeless, and in deep mourning. Those whom I have spoken to reported that, prior to the bombing of the royal palace, fully-armed Imperial stormtroopers and Jedi burst into the city without invitation or permission.

"When emergency crews from the surrounding cities arrived at the scene, all they found were bodies of Zygerrians lying in the fields outside the ruins of the city. They also recovered the bodies a few Jedi and multiple stormtroopers, many of whom were missing limbs. They have gathered up all identifiable Zygerrian remains, but thousands of people are still unaccounted for.

"After further investigation, we have concluded that the Impirial Remnant bombed the palace and proceeded to raze the rest of the city to the ground. Furthermore, the Remnant also kidnapped thousands of Zygerrians. The lightsaber wounds on many of the troopers indicate that the Jedi fought them, and ultimately failed. Why the Jedi were present in the first place has yet to be determined. However, there is no doubt that the destruction of our capital was a hate crime committed by the Imperial Remnant.

"As you may know, entire settlements have been disappearing from Outer Rim worlds for the past few months, and no one thought there was a connection between them. I, along with the representatives of those planets, now know that the Imperial Remnant is responsible for _all_ of these disappearances! They think that because we exist so far from the core that no one cares about us; well, they're wrong! We demand that the Imperial Remnant return all of the prisoners within the next five standard days, or there will be war!"

The newscaster reappeared and said, "In response to the senator's allegations, Imperial Head of State Jagged Fel has said only this:"

Jag, dressed in full military regalia, was next to appear onscreen. "I admit that the Empire was present on Zygerria prior to and during the tragedy. However, we are responsible for neither the bombing nor the disappearances. We, with assistance from the Jedi, were hunting dangerous Imperial fugitives when they fled to Zygerria. We believe that those fugitives were responsible for the attack.

"We tried to evacuate the civilians, but we were too late. After the bombing, we were ambushed by unidentified soldiers with specials weapons that mimic the effect of Jedi lightsabers. With our forces being slaughtered, we were forced to retreat. Unfortunately, none of the Zygerrians made it to safety. The Empire is prepared to do everything in our power to help the survivors and track down the fugitives. But we are _not_ responsible."

The newscaster said, "Senator Shorell and his associates do not believe Commander Fel and still demand retribution for the Empire's actions. It appears that the galaxy is on the verge of yet another civil war. When we come back, we will sit down with Chancellor Don Dain. What will he have to say about these events?"

"Oh, I have a few ideas," answered Han Solo. "He's going to pin the whole thing on the Jedi, that lying son of a–"

"Han!" warned Leia, gesturing to Allana. The three were sitting on the sofa in their apartment, watching the holonews. Jaina Solo and Luke Skywalker were seated in the other chairs, while C-3PO brought drinks for everyone.

Han smiled apologetically at his granddaughter. "Oh, I'm sorry honey. Bad words are never okay – most of the time. There are exceptions, like when you're talking about people like Dain."

Leia slapped a hand to her forehead in exasperation. "Han, _please_ try to take this seriously. We're in a lot of trouble over this incident."

Jaina buried her head in her hands. "So is Jag, and it's all my fault. He warned me about the relationship between the Empire and the Zygerrians, but I didn't listen. I promised him that I wou– that it would be worth it if the Sith were destroyed."

Leia comfortingly rubbed her daughter's shoulder. "It's not your fault, Jaina. We told you to get him to help us. We planned this mission. But, in the end, it all went badly, and that's on us, not you."

This succeeded in calming Jaina, as Leia's motherly advice often did, but it did nothing to lessen her guilt. The only reason Jag had agreed to the mission was because Jaina had offered herself up to him, which she had intended to be a last resort. If it had not been for her, there would not have been a mission to Zygerria in the first place, the Jedi would not be in trouble, and neither would Jag.

Luke was just as upset as Jaina. He had been hoping that the destruction of the Sith would give him closure for his son's murder. But Ben's murderers were still out there, and all Luke had succeeded in doing was bringing even more trouble down on the Jedi Order – trouble that inevitably trickled down to him.

The news returned from its commercial break, and a holovid of the newscaster began to play. "Welcome back. I'm here tonight with Chancellor Dain, who will be sharing his insights into the tragedy on Zygerria. Thank you for speaking with us, Your Excellency."

Sitting across from the newscaster, Don Dain smiled and nodded his head. "It's my pleasure."

"So, let's get right to it; is there anything new that you can share with us tonight?"

Dain shook his head. "No. We still have so many questions ourselves. As soon as information comes in, the public will know about it."

"Of course. Do you believe Senator Shorell's allegations that the Empire was behind the attack?"

"I have known Head of State Fel for a few years now, and I don't believe he is capable of committing such atrocities. If the Empire truly was responsible for this, it would have to be dissidents operating outside of the chain of command."

Jaina exclaimed, "He's suggesting that Jag can't control his own people! That makes him look even worse!"

The newscaster asked, "What about the disappearances? Why hasn't the Alliance made any effort to investigate them?"

Dain answered, "Admittedly, we did not think there was a connection. In such a big galaxy, people go missing constantly. But, now that a connection has been suggested, we are contributing all of our resources to a more thorough investigation."

"And what about the Jedi? Can you shed some light on their involvement?"

"Oh, this oughta be good," grumbled Han.

Dain leaned forward in his chair. "I wish I could. Unfortunately, the Jedi acted without Alliance authorization. Perhaps their intentions were good, but, as so often happens when procedure is broken, things spiraled out of control. I'm afraid that this is not the Jedi's first recent infraction. Over a month ago, they nearly caused a diplomatic incident when they launched an attack on a supposed target without my permission. And the worst part is, they never tell me anything; I have to fish information out of them."

The newscaster asked, "Why are the Jedi doing this?"

"The Jedi obviously think they are above procedure, above the law. And it's probably our fault. We've relied on them to solve the galaxy's problems to the point that they have nearly free reign. Many in the galaxy have argued this for a long time, and this incident has brought the issue to the forefront of the Senate. I have called for a special session of Congress to discuss the possibility of barring the Jedi from the Alliance."

Leia dropped her composure and yelled, "WHAT?"

Allana looked at her grandmother and asked, "What does that mean?"

Luke, speaking for the first time, explained, "It means that, if the Senate agrees, the Jedi would not be part of the Alliance anymore. We would have to operate on our own."

"Doesn't that mean we don't have to worry about Dain anymore? Wouldn't we get to do what we want? That's good, right?"

Luke shook his head. "Without Alliance funding, we wouldn't have any money. We wouldn't even be allowed to stay in the Jedi Temple anymore. We wouldn't be allowed to work with Alliance troops or be part of Alliance intelligence circles or help anyone if it gets in the way of local or Alliance authorities. We'd be crippled."

Allana was silent for a moment while she processed this information. "Why would they do that?"

Han answered, "Because Dain is evil."

"Like Palpatine?"

A sudden chill seemed to descend upon the room. The thought of Don Dain being a cunning Sith Lord like Emperor Palpatine was uncomfortable, to say the least. Answering Allana's question, Leia said, "No, not like Palpatine. Palpatine was a Sith Lord; Dain isn't. They're very different people who want very different things. What your grandpa means is, like Palpatine, Dain doesn't like Jedi."

"Why not?"

After a few seconds of thinking, Leia answered, "I don't know. I don't think anyone knows, actually."

"Well, whatever his reasons," said Jaina, "he wants us out of the picture, but he knows he can't do anything to us."

* * *

"Do you seriously think you can stop the Jedi by _barring_ them?" Mek Dain paced furiously in front of his father's desk. "If you do that, they won't have to answer to anyone. They have the power to do whatever they want and no one can stop them! They only way to stop the Jedi is by killing them!"

Don, sitting slumped in his chair said, "Stop pacing. You're giving me a headache." Mek did as his father said, but he was clearly itching to continue, based on his movements. Don continued, "You know I can't do anything to the Jedi. Even if the Senate agreed to such a radical notion, how would we go about it? How do you kill two hundred Jedi?"

"Strike them before they have a chance to strike back! Get them all onto a ship and have it self-destruct in the middle of hyperspace! Fire a nuclear warhead at their temple! Order every military unit we have to overwhelm them! It's been done before!"

Don straightened up so fast that Mek thought his spine would break. "If I give that order, then I'm no better than Palpatine!"

"Palpatine convinced the galaxy that the Jedi had rebelled against the government. Now, they actually have! You can give that order and people would understand!"

"No, they would not! There is no proof that the Jedi are rebelling; only speculation. If we are to do this, I need to make a convincing case to the Senate. And I can't do that without evidence."

"Then make up evidence!"

Don could not believe that his son was seriously suggesting committing a felony to satisfy his own personal grudge. "You can't be serious! If Alliance Intelligence looks into that evidence, they will inevitably discover that we forged it. We would be sent to prison!"

"Well, we can't do nothing!" Mek resumed pacing, much to his father's annoyance. After a minute, he asked, "What exactly happened in your meeting with Master Skywalker?"

Don recounted the tense meeting. "He explained that they had tracked the assassins to Zygerria, and were on a mission to capture them. But they needed help, and they knew that I would not give it to them, so they enlisted the aid of the Empire instead. They gave the order to move into the capital city when they found the assassins' ship. That is when the palace blew up, and the explosion caused a fire that destroyed the rest of the city. Then, the survivors were suddenly attacked by unidentified soldiers who stunned the Zygerrians. The Jedi were overpowered, so they were force to retreat."

"The same assassins who were at your inauguration? Who haven't shown up since? Who are the same and only excuse that the Jedi gave for what happened on Dromund Kaas?" Mek scoffed. "You still don't get it, do you? There _are_ no assassins! Those were Jedi putting on a show to scare us! Ever since then, the Jedi have been using the assassins as an excuse to cover up their activities.

"And then, there are these 'unidentified soldiers' who bomb a city and kidnap thousands of people without leaving a trace! Need I remind you that there were no other bodies recovered by the Zygerrians? Obviously, the Jedi bombed the city and kidnapped those people by luring them onto their ships with false promises. And they and the stormtroopers killed each other off to make it _look_ like there was another party.

"Assassins? Bombings? Kidnappings? Secret armies? Don't you see? This is all an elaborate setup! They want you to declare a state of emergency so they can have the power to do whatever they want! They want a war between the Jedi and the Alliance, and they convinced the Empire to serve as their private army! The Jedi want to take over the Alliance through lies and deceit!"

Don stared at his son incredulously. "Listen to yourself! You're weaving elaborate conspiracy theories when you don't have all the facts! Why are you so determined to kill the Jedi? What did they ever do to you?"

Mek deflected the question with one of his own. "Why are you _not_ determined to kill the Jedi after what they did to _you_?"

"As much as I would like to see the Jedi gone, I don't want them dead. Death is not justice, and you can't have everything you want. Those are two lessons that I have learned in my long life, and I suggest you learn them, as well."

Mek leaned on his father's desk and said slowly, "Whether you realize it or not, you finally have a chance to exact revenge on the Jedi, and if you don't take it, you will regret it for the rest–" He was interrupted when the lights suddenly went out, plunging the office into darkness. "What's going on?"

Don sighed, knowing exactly what was happening. His hypothesis was confirmed when the office doors slid open and AO-327 walked into the room. Mek pulled out his comlink, no doubt about to call security, but Don stopped him. "Wait. This is AO-327, the bounty hunter I hired to spy on the Jedi." Addressing the bounty hunter, he said, "I don't believe you've met my son, Mek."

AO-327 nodded to Mek in acknowledgement. He strode up to the Chancellor's desk and removed his helmet. "I've done what you've asked."

Don sat down and looked at the cyborg expectantly. "You know what the Jedi have been up to?"

"Yes. And you're not going to believe a word of it. Apparently, an old friend of ours has returned: Demood Elppirc."

Don's three eyes widened in shock. "Impossible! No one could have survived that explosion, much less a cripple!"

"See for yourself." AO-327 pulled a holodisk out of a compartment in his backpack. "This disk contains all of the information I thought would interest you. Allow me to show you a couple of highlights." He slid the holodisk into his portable holoprojector, which he placed on the table. After a few input commands, a security hologram popped up. "This wasn't easy to find, but I dug it out of the Jedi Temple security archives." It was an image of one of the Jedi Temple's medical wards. Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Cilghal were gathered around a table with a figure lying on it. It was an old man with no legs, and, even though the quality of the image was subpar, Don could still make out distinct features of the man's face.

It was like looking at a ghost. "My God. It _is_ him! How is this possible?"

AO-327 smirked. "I don't have to explain anything; Jaina Solo told Jagged Fel everything, and I caught it all on video." He entered another command into the holoprojector and a video began to play. It depicted Jagged Fel's office aboard the _Gilad Pellaeon_ , and he and Jaina Solo were kissing passionately.

"How did you get this?" asked Don.

"Fel had turned off all the cameras. I simply hacked into the system and turned them back on. I also made it so that I was the only one who could see them." The video then proceeded to show the two lovers on the sofa, getting undressed.

Mek looked away from the hologram and stared disgustedly at AO-327. "What are you? Some kind of pervert?"

The cyborg sneered at him and answered, "For your information, I cut the feed just before it got _really_ dirty. If you're uncomfortable with this, you don't have to watch; just listen."

And so they did. They listened as Jaina told Jag everything about the assassins, Demood Elppirc, the Sith Orb, Mustafar, Kamino, the B'Omarr Monks, Sol Fadré's betrayal, Darth Caedus' role in the Sith plot, Dromund Kaas, and what led the Jedi to Zygerria. After the holovid had ended, AO-327 allowed the Dains to absorb all of the information.

The momentary silence was broken when Don asked, "If this recording was taken before the Zygerrian incident, why are you just now bringing this to me?"

AO-327 responded, "I saw what happened on Zygerria. It wasn't just an explosion; it was a bonfire fifty meters high, which turned into a fiery tornado that decimated an entire city. And then unidentified soldiers show up, slaughter the Jedi and stormtroopers, and take Zygerrians captive. I didn't know what to make of it, so I decided to do a little more spying. You should be glad I did. Also included on that disk is a recording of the Jedi Council discussing what happened. Apparently, those 'unidentified soldiers' were Sith."

"Sith?" repeated Mek. "An army of Sith Lords supposedly did this?"

"Not Sith _Lords_ ; Sith, the ancient species."

"Well, that's even more unbelievable! The Sith have been extinct for thousands of years! The Jedi are obviously lying!"

AO-327 frowned at Mek. "Why would the Jedi lie to each other in the privacy of their council chamber?"

Mek had to think before he answered, "Maybe they suspected they were being recorded."

"Impossible!" growled the bounty hunter, obviously offended. "My spy droids are undetectable! Besides, they also picked up pieces of private conversations that tell the same story."

Don settled the argument before it spiraled out of control. "It's far more likely that the Jedi only _thought_ their attackers were Sith. No one has seen a Sith in nearly three millennia. I sure it would be very easy to mistake another species for them."

After mulling this over for a few seconds, Mek relented. "You may be right, Father. But that doesn't change the fact that the Jedi have been keeping secrets from you. As a result, they have put us all in danger! What more proof do you need that they should be eliminated?"

Don sat back in his chair, thoughtfully. "You're right. Something must be done. The question is, how do I prove to the Alliance that the Jedi should be eliminated? The data on this holodisk was obtained illegally, so would be inadmissible in court. We need to leave a trail for Alliance authorities to find this proof on their own."

Mek sighed. "That would take too long. As Chancellor, you can order preventative action against the Jedi and explain yourself later. There must be something we can use against them today!"

They were silent for a moment, considering their next move. A thought suddenly occurred to Don. "When Jaina Solo mentioned the mission to Mustafar, who did she say was part of the mission?"

AO-327 replayed the memory in his cybernetically-enhanced mind. "Ahsoka Tano, Zekk, Tesar Sebatyne, Lowbacca, and Tahiri Veila."

A smile began to form on Don's face. "I know exactly what we can do." Addressing the bounty hunter, he said, "I will have need of your skills as a mercenary soon."

AO-327 chuckled. " _Now_ we're talking!"

* * *

Uh-oh! Looks like things are about to get messy! If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Luke Skywalker sat waiting patiently outside Don Dain's office. Earlier that day, the chancellor's secretary had contacted him, summoning him to an urgent meeting. Luke had to wonder; if it was so urgent, why was Dain making him wait for – Luke checked his chrono – two hours? The answer was obvious: Dain wanted to make a statement that he did not wait on the Jedi; the Jedi had to wait on him. After the fiasco on Zygerria, the chancellor had to make it clear that his hands were clean. Unfortunately, it was working _too_ well.

Luke also had to wonder; what was the meeting about? He imagined that it could not be something good. Perhaps Dain wanted to debrief him about Zygerria – again – as if Luke could tell him anything new. Maybe he suspected that Luke was intentionally leaving out information or downright lying about something, in which case he was hoping Luke would slip up and accidentally reveal a piece of truth that would allow Dain to piece together the entire story.

More likely than not, this meeting would be about the Senate hearing to bar the Jedi from the Alliance. Maybe Dain was warning Luke of what was about to happen. Or, maybe he was offering him a way out. Or, and Luke thought this was most likely, he simply wanted to gloat. Whatever the reason, Luke was certain he would not enjoy this meeting.

Finally, the secretary announced that the chancellor was ready to see him. Luke stood up and stretched until the office doors slid open, prompting him to step through them. When he entered the office, he saw that both Don and Mek Dain were present. Inwardly, Luke groaned. He could handle Don on his own, but Mek made things much worse. It was difficult to read any Gran's facial expressions, but the two in the room appeared angry. That was not a good sign.

Luke sat down in front of the desk and nodded respectfully to the Dains. "Chancellor, Commander." Don nodded his head in return, but Mek barely moved a muscle. Luke continued, "May I ask what this meeting is about?"

With a ferocity that made even Luke flinch, Mek suddenly spat, "You have no right to ask _anything_ of us!" Apparently, he had been holding in a great deal of frustration.

More calmly, but no less angrily, Don said, "We need to discuss the truth. The _whole_ truth."

Luke responded, "Master Tano and I both explained what happened on Zygerria multiple times, and witnesses have corroborated our story. What exactly do you think I'm lying about?"

"I'm not just talking about Zygerria. Let's go all the way back to, say… the Dead Planet."

Luke froze. Did the Dains know about what happened on the Dead Planet? No, impossible. Aside from the Jedi, only Admiral Mo'Ari knew about that, and he had sworn not to tell anyone. Had someone forced him to tell the chancellor, either through threats, bribes, or torture? "What about it?"

"Do not play dumb, Jedi!" exclaimed Mek. "We know all about Demood Elppirc! You brought a known murderer, saboteur, and fugitive to Coruscant without telling us!"

Luke sighed. The secret was out. "We did not know his identity before we rescued him. Since he appeared to be a Jedi, we judged that it was an internal Jedi affair, which means you had no reason to be involved."

Don said, "But then you learned who he was, and you did not think to report it? The Alliance has laws about harboring fugitives, and, despite what your recent behavior indicates, Jedi are _not_ above the law."

"He wasn't a fugitive. Since he's been presumed dead for sixty years, no one has been looking for him."

"That is for the High Courts to decide, not you. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you took care of him, even though you knew he was a traitor."

Mek added, "Or perhaps you did not view him as a traitor at all. Maybe you viewed him as a revolutionary, an inspiration."

Before Luke could respond to Mek's accusations, Don continued, "You certainly seemed to trust him, especially after he told you about the Sith Orb. I'm curious: Why were you so eager to find this obscure, long-lost artifact that may not have even existed?"

Again, Mek prevented Luke from responding. "A weapon like that would be invaluable in a plot to take over the galaxy. It certainly made quick work of those poor B'Omarr monks–"

Luke could not hold his tongue any longer. "They tried to kill us!"

Mek continued as though Luke had not interrupted him. "–whose temple you broke into and from whom you tried to steal a religious icon." Responding to Luke's protest, he added, "There is no proof of that except for your word. How convenient that everyone who might tell a different story is now dead – including your son."

Luke jumped to his feet and yelled, "Leave Ben out of this!" Both Dains recoiled from Luke's sudden outburst. The Jedi Master himself had to admit that he had not exhibited that much anger in decades. But it felt justified. Mek had no right to speak that way about his dead son.

At least Don seemed to agree on that point. He told Luke, glaring at Mek the whole time, "My apologies, Master Skywalker. Commander Dain was clearly out of line." Luke did not need the Force to sense Mek's rising frustration.

Collecting himself, Luke sat back down, breathing heavily in an attempt to quell his anger. He said, "I did not want to use the Sith Orb to take over the galaxy. All I wanted was to keep it safe from our enemies."

Don replied, "I could understand that, except you did the exact opposite. You used it to restore Elppirc's mind, reawakening his criminal, murderous instinct. And you let him escape with both the Orb and the assassins, as well as Master Fadré. Tell me, when you assigned him to be my bodyguard, were you aware that he was a traitor?"

Luke had been afraid that this would come back to bite him. "No. There was absolutely no indication that he would betray us. No one saw it coming."

"Really? Because, from what I hear, he tried to kill Jaina Solo on Kamino. Have the Jedi become so blind that they cannot identify a traitor in their midst?"

Mek put in, "Maybe the Jedi already knew he was a traitor and chose to do nothing about it. That could explain why they chose him to be your bodyguard. They knew he would eventually kill you without being ordered to, thus absolving the Jedi of all blame. Lumin Ango probably ran off with the Sith, too, which is why Master Skywalker won't tell us where he is."

Luke answered, "I told you where Padawan Ango is. His master's betrayal and death weighed heavily on him, so I sent him on meditative leave. Where he goes during his leave is his own business."

"On the contrary," Don said calmly, "When the student of a Jedi traitor is allowed free movement through the galaxy, he becomes a danger to Alliance security. And, as the person who allowed him free movement, you, Master Skywalker, have also become a danger to Alliance security."

"Lumin Ango is not a threat to the Alliance," Luke insisted.

"I'm sure you said the same thing about Jacen Solo even as he was descending into darkness."

Luke's face reddened. Even now, years after Darth Caedus' takeover, he was still being held liable for his nephew's actions. And with the new threat looming, it was one more worry than Luke needed.

Don entwined his fingers and leaned forward on his desk. "For the past year, the Jedi have been operating beyond its authority, and I have warned you numerous times to stop. But you never listen, and you continually find ways to circumvent my authority, such as enlisting the aid of the Empire. You may not realize it, but they do not trust you any more than I do. The only reason Jagged Fel agreed to join you on Zygerria is because Jaina Solo promised him sexual favors in return."

Luke straightened up in shock. "What?" His shock almost instantly turned to anger, and he rose from his seat, deciding to stand for the rest of the meeting. "It's bad enough that you're throwing accusations at me, but accusing my niece of _this_? You have gone too far!"

Mek's three eyes widened in exaggerated, possibly mock, surprise. "You mean, you didn't know about this? I should be surprised, but, this isn't the first time you've been blind to the actions of your family."

Luke did not want to believe this, _could not_ believe this. But, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that the signs had all been there. Jaina had been surprised when she learned that Luke had asked for Jag's help in locating the Sith Orb. She had been nervous when the Jedi Council asked her to enlist his aid in the Mission to Zygerria. And, afterward, when Jag was blamed for the kidnapping of the Zygerrian people, Jaina had felt ashamed. Perhaps what Don said was true, but Luke wanted to hear Jaina confess it.

Don continued, "I have been more than tolerant of your previous transgressions, but, after the incident on Zygerria, I must put my foot down. Your refusal to cooperate with the Senate has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocents, and the disappearance of thousands more. So, I will ask you again; tell me the truth about what happened on Zygerria."

Luke sighed in defeat and launched into the whole story, starting with how the Jedi suspected that the "refugee colony" on Dromund Kaas was fake, all the way through to the aftermath of the battle. The Dains listened without interruption, which Luke took to be a good sign.

When he was finished, he said, "The point of the Mission to Zygerria was to prove that the Sith were on Dromund Kaas. We wanted to use this proof to convince you to authorize an attack on the Sith base." Luke sat down and leaned in towards Don. "We believe that's where the Sith took the kidnapped Zygerrians. If you give the word, we can go in with the entire Alliance army and save thousands of innocents. After that, you can punish the Jedi however you like. Just, please, let us destroy the Sith. Let us save lives. Let me have closure for my son's murder."

Don was silent for a moment as he considered Luke's argument. Finally, he said, "You have suffered a tragedy that I could not even imagine. If my son were murdered, I would want justice even more than you do. And, you make several good points. I would be more than willing to agree with you, except you have no proof."

Luke stressed, "I just told you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I swear it on Ben's grave." Those words left him with a foul taste in his mouth, but he was desperate to make the chancellor believe him.

To Luke's surprise, Don replied, "I'm sure you are, but, given your recent streak of dishonesty, your word will have no value to the Senate. Besides, what you perceive as the truth may very well be false. How do we know that the Zygerrians were kidnapped by Sith? There are no images, no holovids, no recorded confessions, or reliable eyewitness accounts."

"Master Tano got a good look at one of them. She said he was a Sith, and her description matches the archive records."

"So, your only witness is someone who is complicit in your lies, and who, at her advanced age, does not have reliable eyesight?"

Now Luke knew that Don was looking for an excuse to dismiss him. "So, there is no evidence that there are Sith involved, but there is a real threat. If you look at the _Gilad Pellaeon_ 's scans, you'll see that there was some kind of army, and that they kidnapped the Zygerrians."

"I did see the scans, and I only counted about fifty assailants. Do you call 'fifty' an 'army?'"

That was a fair point, Luke conceded. He continued, "And there were the five unidentified battleships that attacked the _Pellaeon_. Even if they don't belong to the Sith, they belong to someone who wants to destroy the Alliance."

"There's no proof of that, either," replied Don. "Those ships only attacked the _Pellaeon_ , and no one else. For all we know, their only grudge is with the Empire. In fact, they might not even have a grudge at all. They could have just been protecting their territory. My guess is, they belong to a crime syndicate or some other independent power. The battleships were likely stolen from some top-secret military agency. We won't know anything for certain until an investigation has been completed."

Luke's patience had been steadily worn down by the Dains throughout the entire meeting. But that last statement drove Luke over the edge. He stood up and said, "Why are you doing this? You're letting your own hatred of the Jedi blind you to the facts! You need to open your eyes, or you'll get everyone killed!"

Don stood up and responded forcefully, " _You_ are the one who will get everyone killed! That is why it is time for me to take immediate action against the Jedi, starting with Tahiri Veila!"

Up to that point, Luke had not thought it possible for him to be caught more off-guard. But, he had to admit, he never expected the chancellor to bring up Tahiri in the midst of this conflict. When Jacen Solo became Darth Caedus, he took Tahiri as his apprentice, enticing her with false promises to bring back her dead lover, Anakin Solo. Under his command, she committed numerous crimes, including the murder of Admiral Gilad Pellaeon. However, prior to Caedus' death, Ben Skywalker revealed his deception to her and convinced her to return to the light.

Luke protested, "We had an agreement! You promised that Tahiri would not be prosecuted!"

Don replied, "That was before you broke your end of the deal. I released her to your care and protection in exchange for the promise that she would never again be a Jedi."

"I haven't broken that promise. She was never reinstated, as our records show."

"So you claim, yet you sent her on a certain mission to Mustafar."

"That doesn't mean she's a Jedi again. We just felt it would be good for her to go on a mission to cheer her up."

Mek laughed. "A mission into an active volcano was supposed to cheer her up? Your definition for 'cheer' is obviously different from everyone else's."

"The point," continued Don, "Is that you have broken your end of the agreement, so I must go back on mine. You have twenty-four hours to release Jedi Veila into Alliance custody."

Luke had no intention of ever doing that. "And if I don't?"

Don frowned. "Then we shall have to take her by force."

Luke could not believe what he had just heard. Would Don Dain really attack the Jedi Temple? Was he turning into another Palpatine? No, surely not. This was obviously a bluff to scare the Jedi into submission. The Senate would never go along with it. Or would they? With all of the anti-Jedi sentiment that had been building over the past several years, and the news interpretation of recent events, there was a good chance that Dain would get away with such a radical action.

If Dain really did send an army to attack the temple, the Jedi would be forced to defend it, which could result in loss of life. That would surely ruin the Jedi's reputation. But, what choice did they have? If they gave Tahiri over, she would certainly be executed for her crimes. And then, Dain would find some other excuse to go after the other Jedi. He would never stop, not until every last Jedi had been destroyed.

Luke returned Don's frown and said, "You have just declared war against the wrong enemy. The Sith will reveal themselves soon, and when that happens, you'll regret throwing away your only weapon against them." With that, he turned and strode from the office, suppressing the anger building inside him. All he could think about was making both Dains pay for this sacrilege.

It was not until after he had left the office that it hit Luke; he was angry. He, who had spent so many years learning to control his dark emotions, was now angry. How could this be? Had Ben's death, combined with all of the new threats Luke was facing, driven him to a place from which he could never return? Was Luke Skywalker falling to the dark side of the Force? Without Ben, Luke was unsure whether he was still fit to lead the Jedi.

* * *

After the office doors closed behind Luke, Mek laughed. "I never thought it was possible. But we've done it. We've broken the great Luke Skywalker!"

Don's head whipped around so fast that Mek thought it would snap off. "Why did you say that about his son? Did I raise you to be so cruel?"

Mek's joy vanished in an instant. How could his father be mad at him, when he was helping him to fulfill his lifelong vision? "I only said that to throw him off-balance, and it worked! You're welcome!"

Don shook his head. "You went too far, Mek. Too far. I knew I should not have let you attend this meeting."

Now thoroughly angry, Mek spat, "If I hadn't been here, you would never have been able to handle it! As it is, you just made a big mistake! Why would you give him twenty-four hours? That's more than enough time for the Jedi to retaliate!"

Don thought about it and nodded his head. "Perhaps you're right on that account. How much time would you have given him?"

"I think twelve hours is reasonable. They could still retaliate, but they wouldn't have enough time to consolidate a plan. You should authorize the attack now!"

His father looked at him in surprise. "Now? I just promised him twenty-four hours. If I go back on my word, that could tarnish my reputation."

Mek pointed out, "Only the three of us know about that. If Skywalker tells everyone the truth, there will be no way for him to prove it. It would be his word against ours!" He leaned forward on the desk to stare his father in the eyes. "Once the Senate sees the evidence we've compiled, there will be no question that the Jedi are dangerous and must be dealt with. No one will blame you for ordering the arrest of Jedi Veila, nor will they blame you if the arrest turns violent. You have a golden opportunity to get your revenge once and for all! Now take it!"

Don's expression did not betray his thoughts. He looked as stoic as ever. He stood up and walked over to the large transparisteel window. As he gazed out over the Coruscant cityscape, he mulled his son's words over in his head. He remembered how he once felt at the very mention of the Jedi. Over the years, those feelings seemed to fade away until he forgot the original reason for them. But now, listening to his son, those feelings pushed their way to the forefront of his mind. Memories resurfaced – painful memories – to reopen wounds that had healed long ago. The Jedi had been responsible for his pain, and he wanted them to pay.

Finally, Don turned around to look at his son. He said, "You have twelve hours. Gather as many troops as you need. Arrest Tahiri Veila, and kill anyone who gets in your way."

Mek beamed with pride. "Thank you father. You won't regret this." With that, he turned and hurried out of the office. He practically bounded with every step he took. That night would be the night he had dreamt of for years. It had taken a lot of patience and hard work, but he was finally about to get rid of the Jedi. Convincing his father to go along with it had been harder than he had anticipated. Don had always dismissed Mek's warnings, never taking him seriously. Now, he finally had the respect he had waited so long for.

When he entered the turbolift, he pulled out his comlink and entered a frequency to contact. The comlink immediately flashed red, indicating that the channel was restricted to military personnel. He typed the authorization code and said, "This is Commander Mek Dain, requesting the preparation of an SO-3465. Please have it prepared by 1800. Standby for launch coordinates and authorization codes."

As he typed multiple numbers into the keypad, he smiled in grim satisfaction. His father gave him permission to attack the Jedi Temple with whatever troops he deemed necessary. The old man should have been more specific. He should have added, "unless you think a high-yield nuclear bomb is necessary." He also never said anything about sacrificing stormtroopers if Mek thought it was justified. Also, he said to kill anyone who gets in the way. But what happens if _every_ Jedi was in the way? Does that give Mek the right to kill all of them?

Mek knew that the missile would spark a lot of controversy, and definitely result in his court-martial, but he was willing to pay that price if it meant destroying the Jedi, completely and utterly.

* * *

Things have just gone from bad to worse! If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages!


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Nysilla Zabeth screamed in agony, lying naked in the mud while Sith warriors laughed. The electrowhip cracked again, striking the girl's body and delivering painful electric shocks. She begged her tormentor to stop, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Ben Skywalker continued to swing the whip at her, consumed by anger and hatred. All around them, the Sith base on Dromund Kaas was engulfed in flames, burning its inhabitants alive. The stench of burning flesh permeated the air, along with the wailing cries of hundreds of innocent men, women, and children.

"Why, Ben?" asked a small voice. Ben stopped whipping Nysilla and looked up to see Allana Solo standing three meters in front of him. She was naked, wreathed in flame, and her skin was burning away, yet she did not seem to notice. She stared at Ben with empty eye sockets and asked, "Why didn't you save me? Why didn't you save anyone? You promised to protect the galaxy from harm, but you stood by and let the Sith kill everyone!"

From behind Allana, several figures emerged from the flames. They were all naked and rotting, and they stalked towards Ben. Their faces were contorted in anger, bent on revenge. Ben ignited his lightsaber, casting a blood-red glow on the undead corpses. More had appeared behind the first wave, too many for Ben to fight. He turned around to run away, but there were even more corpses behind him. He started left, and then right, but there was no way out. He was completely surrounded by the corpses of hundreds of slaves.

As they drew closer, Ben swung his lightsaber in a wide arc, cutting through bodies with its red blade. But more kept coming, and Ben was quickly overwhelmed. The corpses wrestled him to the ground and began tearing at him. He screamed as his flesh was shredded and blood gushed into the air like a fountain. He felt his arms and legs pop out of their sockets, but he barely registered them. He was more preoccupied by the cold, dead hands pulling on his head, and the immense strain in his neck.

Ben eyes snapped open in alarm, his chest heaving. He calmed down as he realized that he had been having another nightmare. He had not slept well since that dreadful day. Every night, he dreamt of the warehouse full of rotting corpses, the foul-smelling furnace, and Allana's body wreathed in flame. And Nysilla was involved in every dream somehow, being beaten, tortured, raped, killed, or a combination of the four.

He let out a sigh of relief when he realized that both he and Nysilla were safe. They were in the dark slave hut, lying on the bench they now shared, surrounded by sleeping slaves. Ben smiled as he felt Nysilla's body pressed against his. That day had been one of the most horrifying of his life, but that night had been one of the best. Ben and Nysilla found comfort in each other's arms, giving them a short-lived respite from the horror and darkness of the slave camp.

After that night, they decided that they would rather sleep together than alone, so Ben had given his bench to another slave, and joined Nysilla on hers. The bench was narrow, so Nysilla had to lie on top of Ben, but he did not mind; she was remarkably light. Each night, they would kiss and caress until they both drifted off to sleep. Of course, they did not want to bother the other slaves with their affectionate displays, so they held off until after everyone else was asleep. Their intimacy never went farther than cuddling, but Ben hoped that that would change.

They had grown closer, not only physically, but emotionally as well. Whenever they were together, they would talk to each other, learning more about each other's likes and dislikes. Ben still had not told Nysilla about his true identity, but he told her everything else about himself. In the days following their first kiss, they felt that they knew each other quite well. Moreover, they were certain that what they felt was more than just attraction; they had a real connection.

Still frightened by his nightmare, Ben wrapped his arms around Nysilla and held her tight. This caused her to wake up. She looked at Ben and asked, "Another nightmare?"

Ben simply nodded his head and continued to hug her.

Nysilla asked, "Do you want to talk about it?" He shook his head in reply. She laid her head down on his bare chest and rubbed it in small circles, letting the slow rise and fall lull her to relaxation. "It was only a dream."

Speaking for the first time, Ben said, "Honestly, I can't tell the difference between dreams and reality anymore. Every day on this godforsaken planet is a nightmare. And when that nightmare ends, I go to sleep, and another one begins. Then, when I wake up, it's another nightmare. It's only the times in between that prevent me from going insane."

Nysilla snorted in amusement. "Well, 'the times in between' thanks you. She could not have gotten through these past several days without you."

Now it was Ben's turn to snort. He craned his neck forward and kissed her. The two stayed cuddled together until the morning alarm sounded, signaling the beginning of another nightmare.

* * *

That day, Ben was assigned to clean the vats in the kitchen. It was just like his first day on Dromund Kaas. Dried stew caked the sides and bottom of the vats, and he had to scrub and scrape to get it all off. Today, however, the task was not as difficult as it had been that first day. Ben had done this job enough times to have enacted a process. Besides, he had gotten stronger during his time at the slave camp, which made physical labor less painful.

More than that, it was nothing compared to disposal duty. Ben had gathered that that particular task only had to be carried out once every ten days. So far, he had only been assigned that job once, but he prayed that he would never have to do it again.

When both vats were clean, Ben had a moment to sit down and rest before the other slaves arrived to begin preparing the food. When they arrived, he was surprised to see that Nysilla was among them. They both flashed brief smiles at one another before they got to work. The Sith overseer had Ben carving meat, and Nysilla cutting fruit for the stew. Two other slaves filled each vat with milk and lit a fire underneath.

As Ben was dicing animal carcasses and putting the pieces into crates, he heard a loud crash from behind him. He turned around and saw Nysilla in the pantry, lying amidst a mess of broken crates and smashed fruits and vegetables. He surmised that she had been trying to pick up a crate of fruit, but it was so heavy and she was so tired that she had lost her balance and knocked over a pile of crates.

The Sith overseer growled and yanked on Nysilla's hand to pull her up. "Look what you've done! You just destroyed six perfectly good crates, and ruined what little food we have left!"

Nysilla breathed heavily from overexertion and fear. "I'm sorry! I just lost my balance! It won't happen again, I swear!"

The Sith grabbed her by the arms and pulled her in close – so close, that she was almost kissing him. He asked, "How do you expect to repay me for the damage you've done?"

Nysilla craned her neck, trying to get her face as far away from the Sith's as possible. She sobbed, "I'll work harder. I promise!" Her chest began to heave noticeably.

The Sith looked down, and then a wicked smile crept across his face. He bared his fangs and said, "I know how you can repay me. Come on!" He started to lead her from the kitchen, but she screamed and fought to release herself from his grip. He laughed and said, "Stop struggling, and I'll be gentler. If you don't…" He let that sentence hang in the air as he picked up a screaming and kicking Nysilla, prepared to carry her to wherever he intended to have his way with her.

Ben realized what was about to happen, and he could not bear the thought of losing his only friend. More than that, he could not lose his only reason to live. "Let her go!" he shouted, much to the surprise of the other slaves.

The Sith roared, "Get back to work, boy!"

Ben held out his hand and growled, "You _will_ let her go." He put the weight of the Force behind his words, hoping beyond hope that this Sith happened to be weak-minded.

He was not. The Sith laughed and said, "Don't worry, you'll see her tomorrow… at disposal duty." He laughed even louder and harder than he had before.

In that moment, something snapped in Ben. The Sith's statement triggered a series of images from Ben's nightmares. He imagined Nysilla's body lying atop the pile of corpses in the warehouse, Ben carrying her through the camp, and then shoving her into a furnace. He realized that these images were about to become reality. The very thought of that happening made his blood burn red-hot. He hated the Sith for even suggesting it. The anger built up inside Ben until he could no longer contain it. "YOU BASTARD!"

Everything seemed to happen in slow-motion. Ben screamed with rage and lashed his arm out, willing the Force to give him strength. The Sith suddenly dropped Nysilla just before he flew into the wall at near-sonic speed. The force of the impact was so strong that the Sith's head was crushed flat, leaving a spot on the wall covered in blood and brain matter. The lifeless body slumped to the ground with a pool of blood forming around it.

Ben stared at the body in front of him, breathing heavily. He could not believe it. He had just killed a Sith using the Force, and it felt… amazing! The rush of adrenaline made him laugh. His laughter faded, however, when he turned around and saw all of the slaves staring at him, including Nysilla. It was only then that he realized that he had just outed himself as a Jedi.

The slaves' expressions were mixes of shock and fear. Nysilla's expression also showed betrayal. "What _are_ you?" she whispered.

He reached his arm out to her. "Nysilla…"

She recoiled and screamed, "Get the hell away from me!" She scrambled away from Ben, tears streaming down her face.

Ben held up his hands to try and calm everyone down. "Okay. Here's the truth: My name is Ben Skywalker. I'm a Jedi."

"Skywalker?" repeated one of the slaves. "Like _Luke_ Skywalker?"

Ben nodded. "He's my dad. A couple months ago, we suspected that the Sith were here, on Dromund Kaas, so we launched an attack. But they deceived us by saying that this was a refugee colony, so we left. But my fighter was struck by lightning, and I crashed. I made my way here, and the Sith captured me, thinking I was an escaped slave."

Nysilla shook her head. "All this time? You were a Jedi, and you never told me?"

"I thought if I pretended to be a slave, I could gather information until I found a way to escape. I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to protect my cover."

"You could have told _me_! I told you everything about myself, and all you ever told me were lies! Even after that night when we kissed, you _still_ lied to me!"

Ben had to concede that Nysilla made a good point. If he trusted her enough to kiss her and let her sleep with him, he should have trusted her enough with the truth. "You're right. I should have told you. I just didn't want to make you worry even more. You have to understand, I was trying to protect you."

Nysilla's expression turned feral. "Like you protected my mother? And that Twi'lek woman? And the girl who looked like your cousin, if you even _have_ a cousin? And everyone else? Why didn't you even _try_ to save them? You let my mother die!"

Ben was caught off-guard by Nysilla's accusations. When he thought about it, he realized she was right; he did not even try to save anyone. "There was nothing I could have done for any of them. If I'd intervened, my cover would've been blown, and the Sith would've killed me. Believe me, I hated not being able to do anything. It's been eating me up from the inside every day since I got here. I wanted to save them, and I almost tried to, except I lost my lightsaber in the crash."

"Why should I believe that?" Nysilla screamed angrily. "Everything you ever told me has been a lie!"

"That's not true!" exclaimed Ben, starting to get angry himself. "I didn't lie about my cousin! I didn't lie about my first name! And I never, ever lied about my feelings for you!"

"Don't you dare talk about us! There is no 'us' anymore! Get out of my life! Get out! I never want to see you again!" Nysilla broke down and sobbed.

Ben wanted to argue further, to fight for her, but he realized that no words would make a difference. He had lost her, and she would never take him back.

At that moment, two Sith guards ran into the kitchen. They raised their axe-rifles and yelled, "Don't move!" Ben picked up the carving knife from his station and threw it into the first guard's neck, causing him to bleed out. It took the other guard a second to register what had happened, and by the time he aimed his rifle at Ben, the exposed Jedi used the Force to summon the weapon into his hands and shoot the guard. He took one last, sorrowful look at Nysilla before he fled through the door.

As soon as Ben was out of the building, he ran around the side and stood against the wall, pointing his rifle in every direction to make sure no one saw him. A moment later, an alarm sounded throughout the base, causing every Sith to scramble. Ben knew that there were security cameras in every building. Once the Sith saw the footage, they would know that he was a Jedi, and their hunt for him would intensify. Worse than that, they would probably call in reinforcements from their other bases throughout the galaxy.

The Sith would start questioning every slave Ben had ever come in contact with, starting with Nysilla. The thought of what they might do to her to make her gave him up was sickening. He had to rescue her before he did anything else. But what good would that do? She hated him now, and would scream for help the moment she saw him. Besides, if the Sith knew that Ben had feelings for Nysilla, they would use her as bait to lure him into a trap. If they killed her, they would lose their bait. There was nothing Ben could do for Nysilla, or for anyone else.

Ben analyzed his situation. He was trapped on a deserted planet, surrounded by hundreds of powerful Sith who wanted to kill him, and he had no friends or allies who could help him. He was all alone. He could not possibly kill every Sith on Dromund Kaas, especially without his lightsaber. And if he managed to escape, there was nowhere on the planet where he could go. If he tried to steal one of the few ships the Sith had, he would be shot down.

There was only one thing he could do. He had to get a message out to the Jedi. If he told them everything, they would surely come to the rescue of thousands of innocent lives.

Unless they were too busy with bigger problems.

* * *

Darth Hatus read the datapad intently, studying the latest figures. The Sith army was growing at an exponential rate, thanks to the Sith Orb. There were now thousands of Sith soldiers, each with hereditary warrior skills and strength. In addition, there were over a hundred Sith Knights, strong with the dark side of the Force, each wearing minimal armor and wielding a standard-issue lightsaber. Through the Sith's alliances, they had procured a fleet of powerful battleships and starfighters, the likes of which the galaxy had never seen.

The Sith armor was designed so that it did not cover their joints, allowing for greater mobility. The Sith relied on their strength and agility to defend themselves where their armor did not reach. The helms on their head were designed to accommodate the cranial horns some members of the species possessed, and they had clear visors over the eyes and a removable piece of cloth over the nose and mouth so that the warriors had no trouble getting air. The axe-rifles issued to each warrior were heavy – almost too heavy for other species – and packed greater firepower, and the energy blades could deflect blasterfire and lightsaber blades, while also being able to cut through most materials.

The armor, weapons, and vehicles were assembled using standard materials whenever possible, but some parts, including lightsaber crystals, were synthesized using the Sith Orb. Hatus briefly worried that he might be approaching the limit of what the orb could create. But then he reminded himself; the orb can transform matter itself. Since there is an infinite amount of matter in the universe, there is virtually no limit to his new power.

Satisfied with the figures, he set the datapad on his desk and told Darths Sinestro and Masculous, "We are progressing further than I ever thought possible. Our victory on Zygerria proves that we have one of the finest armies the galaxy has ever seen!"

Sinestro would hardly call Zygerria a "victory." To him, the most appropriate word was "massacre." True, the Sith had taken nearly all of the Zygerrians alive, but most of the aliens were suffering in the slave camps. Their evolution did not prepare them to be slaves themselves. Besides, Sinestro was still trying to figure out why Hatus despised the Zygerrians so much, even though he was enslaving innocent beings, just like they had. Sinestro did not voice his misgivings out loud, however. He simply agreed with his master. "In a few months, we will be strong enough to wage war against the Galactic Alliance."

Masculous chuckled. "I must admit, my lord, I had grave doubts about this entire enterprise. I now see that I was wrong."

Hatus smiled proudly and turned to look out the window of his office. Across the Korriban landscape, thousands of Sith warriors marched in procession, chanting in the ancient Sith language. The rows of warriors were broken by dozens of wheeled armored tanks. The sight made Hatus even more excited. "The way they're performing, I think we can shorten 'months' to 'weeks.' And now that Chancellor Dain is waging his own war against them, the Jedi will be powerless against us. By the time Dain realizes his mistake, it will be too late. Our victory is all but certain."

His triumphant musings were interrupted by the chiming of his holocomm. He pressed the answer button and a hologram of Darth Volatis sprang up. "Ah, Lady Volatis, I was just telling your brothers here about our certain victory over the Jedi. How are things on Dromund Kaas?"

He did not need to wait for her reply. Her expression told Hatus that something was wrong. She said gravely, "We have encountered a complication."

Hatus' smile vanished. "What kind of 'complication?'"

"There is an undercover Jedi on our base."

All three Sith were awestruck. "What?" exclaimed Hatus. "How? Who?"

"Three of my guards are dead. We have witnesses and security footage of the attack." Volatis disappeared and was replaced by security footage of a Sith guard dragging a young woman away. Then, a young man on the other side of the holographic field threw his arm out in front of him, and the guard flew against the opposite wall so hard that it left a bloodstain. The footage fast-forwarded through an argument between the boy and the girl and resumed as two more guards entered the field. The boy then threw a carving knife into one guard's neck, and the other guard's rifle flew into the boy's hands. The boy shot the guard and turned in the direction of the security camera, after which the footage paused to allow the Sith to see his face.

Sinestro only had to look for a few seconds before he gasped. "Wait a second. That's Luke Skywalker's son!"

Hatus looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"He didn't have nearly as much facial hair when last I saw him, but it's definitely him. He was presumed dead when the Jedi tried to attack the base almost two months ago."

Masculous growled at Volatis. "You had Skywalker's son right under your nose for _two months_ , and you never realized it? Are you _blind_?"

Volatis yelled angrily, "I couldn't have known! I never sensed him through the Force, and he never called attention to himself! I've never even _seen_ the boy!"

Sinestro pointed out, "Ironic, given that you're a clone of his mother."

"Where is he?" asked Hatus. "Do you have him?"

Volatis shook her head. "No, he's loose on the base somewhere. But I have every one of my guards looking for him, and we're interrogating all of the slaves he came in contact with. We'll have him in no time at all."

Hatus clenched his fists. "There's no point in interrogating anyone. We know who he is now, and even if anyone told you where he was hiding, he's probably moved by now. There are only so many places he can hide." He thought for a moment. "There are only three things he can do: Try to escape in a ship, try to fight his way to freedom, or try to get a message to the Jedi. The first two would almost certainly lead to his death, so that leaves the third option. Double the guard on the communications center, lock down all ships, and monitor the slaves at all times to make sure he doesn't try to start a mutiny. Lords Sinestro and Masculous are on their way with reinforcements." He nodded to the two Sith, who turned to leave.

They paused when Volatis protested, "My lord, he's just a child. I don't need reinforcements. I just need twenty-four hours."

"You had two months to find him. Why should I expect you to find him in twenty-four hours?"

"Because now I know that he's here, and I know what he looks like. I didn't before."

Sinestro nodded. "That is a good point, my lord."

Hatus mulled it over in his mind. Finally, he said, "Very well. You have twenty-four hours to report back to me – with his head. Then, you will return to Korriban so we can discuss your failure to find him the first time."

Volatis clenched her teeth and wrinkled her face, almost as though she wanted to explode at her master. But she controlled herself and replied, "Yes, my lord." With that, her hologram disappeared.

Hatus leaned back in his chair and sighed in frustration. "Two months. He's been gathering intel for two months. If he tells the Jedi what's happening on Dromund Kaas, our plans are ruined."

Sinestro pointed out, "He's just a boy. Volatis will catch him."

"Maybe, but if there's one thing I've learned from watching his father and grandfather, it's to never underestimate a Skywalker." Hatus stood up and stared out the window. "We should be prepared for the possibility that he succeeds. We need to keep the Jedi from getting his message."

"If Volatis fails to stop the message from going out, then the only way to keep the Jedi from receiving it is to destroy the holotransceiver at the Jedi Temple." It did not take Sinestro long to realize what that entailed. "Wait, you plan to attack the Jedi Temple?"

"We have no choice. The boy has forced our hand before we were ready to reveal it. Fortunately, we know that Chancellor Dain is sending troops to attack the temple tomorrow, which will provide us with the perfect distraction. How many warriors can we smuggle into the temple by tomorrow?"

"By tomorrow? None. The droids, maybe, but we're still working out a few minor bugs in their programming."

Hatus shrugged. "It'll have to do. Get every droid that can fight aboard an unmarked ship to Coruscant, at once."

"We don't have enough droids to fight _all_ of the Jedi."

That was a real problem Hatus had to acknowledge. He slammed his fist against the wall in frustration. This boy had ruined his perfectly constructed plans! The New Sith were supposed to reveal themselves to the galaxy in a sudden, devastating attack in full force. A last minute assault with some droids was hardly an appropriate way of launching his new empire.

And then, an idea came to him. An idea so brilliant, so evil, that Hatus' face broke into a malicious grin. "Make sure my special project is on board the ship as well."

Both Sinestro and Masculous paled in fear. Sinestro asked, "My lord, are you sure that's a good idea? Revealing it now…"

"…will show Skywalker that I mean business," Hatus finished. "When he comes face-to-face with his worst enemy, he will completely lose hope. His defeat will go down in legend!"

* * *

You thought the stakes were high enough? Well, now, they're even higher! Will Ben succeed? Will Nysilla ever forgive him? And what is Hatus' "special project?" If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Jaina Solo was surprised when she was summoned to the Jedi Council Chamber for an emergency council meeting. She wondered why her uncle wanted her, a Jedi Knight, present when the Jedi Masters were discussing something obviously important. Maybe he wanted her input on something. He had always valued her opinion, even when she was still an apprentice. Maybe this was an indication that she would soon be promoted to the rank of Jedi Master. The very thought made her shiver with excitement.

When she arrived at the council chamber, Luke Skywalker and the other masters were seated in their respective places. Jaina was surprised to see that Han Solo was present, as well, standing behind Leia. The Jedi had often included Han in their discussions because of his street smarts and unofficial contacts. Was the council planning something that would require his talents? A brief thought crossed Jaina's mind. Maybe he had been invited to witness her promotion. Maybe that's what the meeting was about! Maybe, in a few minutes, Jaina would become a master! She suppressed that thought, knowing how unlikely it was. Besides, she did not want to seem too excited.

With everyone accounted for, Luke spoke. He did not begin with any of the opening formalities that normally accompanied each meeting. In fact, he appeared to be stressed about something. He said only two words: "Dain knows." He paused for a few seconds to let the statement sink in. But all he got were confused looks. He reiterated, "Dain knows _everything_. He knows about Master Elppirc, Master Fadré, and the Sith Orb. He knows everything."

Through the Force, Jaina could sense that the room was suddenly awash with feelings of alarm. None, however, were as shocked as Jaina. How did Dain find out? More importantly, what would he do now that he had? Could he possibly do something worse than bar the Jedi from the Alliance?

Luke continued, "He summoned me to a meeting today, in which he confronted me about the secrets we've been keeping from him. Somehow, he found out about everything that has happened this past year." He looked at Jaina and added, "He also alerted me to something that I was not aware of."

It struck Jaina how unhappy he looked. Why was he looking at her? Did this secret he had learned involve Jaina? A horrible thought occurred to her, and she prayed that she was wrong.

She was not. "Jaina," Luke asked, "when you contacted Jagged Fel before the Zygerrian mission, did you promise to sleep with him if he helped us?"

At first, Jaina was too stunned to speak. All of the attention in the room had suddenly shifted to her. A mixture of emotions radiated from everyone – shock, disappointment, scorn, disbelief – mostly from her parents. Han was struggling to maintain eye contact with her, and she could sense that he was ashamed of her. Leia, on the other hand, could not stop staring, and she appeared distressed. Ahsoka Tano seemed to pity her, as though Jaina were a child who had fallen and scraped her knee. Luke continued to frown and glare at her with a seemingly icy gaze.

Jaina could feel the blood rush torrentially to her cheeks, causing her face to turn bright red. Her darkest, most intimate secret had just been revealed to her parents and the entire Jedi Council. She felt as though she were standing naked in the center of a grand ballroom, with hundreds of people staring at her. At that moment, she wanted to disappear and never return to the Jedi Temple.

Luke asked again, "Jaina, is it true?"

Bowing her head in shame, Jaina confessed, "It's true."

Luke then asked, "How long have you two been having an affair?"

The wave of emotions that washed over Jaina was so strong that it nearly knock her over. With this new revelation, everyone in the room had begun to radiate anger. She completely understood why. Sleeping with Jag once was bad enough; sleeping with him continuously for who-knew-how-long was infinitely more serious. All of the times Jag had helped the Jedi could very well have been solely because of Jaina. She knew that that was not true, but others might not.

Leia stood up, and Jaina mentally prepared herself for a scolding or a lecture, or both. To her surprise, however, Leia said, "Jaina, you can go. We'll discuss this later, in private."

Jaina was barely able to keep from running to the door. She wanted to get out of that room so bad. As soon as she was in the turbolift, she broke into tears. She had gone into the council chamber thinking that it would be the proudest day of her life. Instead, it had turned out to be the most humiliating.

* * *

After Jaina left, everyone settled back into their seats. Luke continued the meeting by summarizing his meeting with Don Dain. When he was finished, he let the other masters process what he had told them. After a minute, Kenth Hamner asked, "We have worked so hard to keep this secret. How did the Chancellor find out?"

"It's obvious isn't it?" said Han. "He's been spying on us! In fact, he's probably watching us right now!" He raised his head toward the ceiling, looking for recording devices.

Kyle Katarn said, "It doesn't really matter now, does it. What matters now is how we–"

"HAN!"

Reacting to Leia's screech, everyone turned to look at Han, whose arm was raised to the ceiling with his fingers forming an obscene gesture.

"Captain Solo!" exclaimed Cilghal. "If you are to be allowed to attend these meetings, you must show _some_ decorum!"

Han frowned and let his arm drop to his side.

Kyle picked up where he left off. "What matters now is how we deal with this. What evidence does Dain have?"

Everyone turned to Luke, expecting an answer. But Luke had to admit, "I don't know. He never said."

Leia stared at Luke incredulously. "You didn't even ask? Legally, your entitled to see whatever evidence Dain has against you!"

"I know, I know, I just forgot." How could he have forgotten something like that?

Kenth sighed. "Then I suppose, until we see the evidence, we can't make any informed decisions."

Ahsoka asked, "What about Tahiri Veila? If we don't turn her over to Alliance custody, they will take her by force. That's just another way of saying that the Jedi Temple will be attacked tomorrow. We need to come up with a plan to defend ourselves."

Kenth suggested, "Perhaps we should do as Dain requests. We can use what little authority we have left to make sure Tahiri gets a fair trial."

Saba Sebatyne hissed, "You would throw her to the Suk'la?"

Kenth raised his eyebrow in confusion. "I'm sorry, the what?"

"The Suk'la! Vicious predatorz that inhabit the jungles of Barab I. They feed on…"

"I get the idea. I don't like it, but we may have no choice."

Kyp Durron protested, "A fair trial for Tahiri ends in execution. Turning her in would be condemning her to death."

Corran Horn pointed out, "If we don't turn her in, Dain will order an attack on the temple. If we try to defend ourselves, that could be construed as obstruction of justice. If we kill any stormtroopers, Dain would use that to convince the Alliance that we _are_ a threat, and that we _should_ be eliminated. I don't see any way around this. I'm afraid I have to agree with Master Hamner."

"No!" exclaimed Leia. "Tahiri made a mistake, one she regrets every single day. She has worked so hard to regain our trust, and now we're considering betraying that trust. We promised to protect her, so that's what we're going to do. Yes, defending the temple will only put us in a bad situation. Well, we're already in a bad situation. It doesn't matter what we do; Dain's going to do everything in his power to bar us from the Alliance."

Everyone in the room looked at each other and murmured their agreement. Leia was, without doubt, the best diplomat among them. Her words went a long way towards convincing the other masters. Ahsoka said, "Leia's right. We're not letting them take Tahiri. After everything she's been through, being imprisoned would be horrible. Believe me."

Luke knew that Ahsoka was talking about when she was imprisoned in the Imperial Palace after nearly being killed by Darth Vader. For four years, Emperor Palpatine tortured her, planning to use her as bait to capture Luke. Even after she had been rescued, the trauma continued to afflict her for years afterward. She still had scars and a prosthetic right hand as a daily reminder of the experience.

Then, an idea occurred to Luke. "Maybe we can avoid a fight altogether." Everyone looked at him curiously, so he explained, "If Dain's going to play dirty politics against us, then maybe we should do the same to him. We can threaten to reveal one of his dark secrets unless he calls off his witch-hunt."

Ahsoka stared at him, wide-eyed. "Blackmail? You really think we should stoop that low?"

"I don't like it any more than you do, but what choice do we have? This is the only way to protect the Jedi Order and, by extension, the Alliance."

Han piped up, "I like it. What did you have in mind?"

Luke gave Ahsoka a sorrowful look. He sent her mental images through the Force to explain his plan to her. She must have understood, for she nodded her head, giving Luke permission to proceed. He explained, "During the Liberation of Coruscant, when I decided to rescue Master Tano from the Imperial Palace, Dain cut me off and threatened to shoot me. He confirmed my suspicions that he was the one who tipped off the Empire about our mission to Christophsis."

He had told Ahsoka about this after her rescue, but it was new information to everyone else. Their shock and anger permeated the council chamber. Leia was especially shocked. She had considered Dain to be one of the Rebellion's most intelligent and dedicated members. Learning that he had been a traitor who caused the deaths of rebel soldiers was overwhelming.

Luke continued. "That face-off took place in a hallway in the palace. We can find the security footage in the archives and threaten to release it to the public. He will do anything to make sure that never happens."

The Jedi Masters took a moment to consider this course of action. Finally, Kenth said, "If you can find the footage, I think it's worth a try." The others voiced their agreement.

Luke nodded his head. "Then I will get to work searching for it now. Until then, place the temple on high alert. Make sure everyone knows that there's a fight coming, and, under no circumstances, are they to kill or permanently injure any Alliance forces. May the Force be with us all."

The others echoed the mantra and rose to leave the chamber. But before Luke could leave, Leia stepped in front of him and asked, "May I have a word with you?"

Luke could sense that Leia was angry, but not at Jaina or Dain. He was surprised to realize that her anger was directed at him. Han's expression indicated that he was angry, as well. Luke answered, "Okay," and waited for the last master to exit the chamber.

As soon as the doors slid closed, Leia whirled on Luke and snapped, "What were you thinking?"

Luke was still puzzling out why she was angry with him. "I don't know what you mean."

"How could you humiliate Jaina – and us – like that in front of the entire council? Did it never occur to you to talk about it with the three of us _before_ you blabbed to the council?"

Luke's mouth hung open in shock. How did he not think of that? Why was his first instinct to publicly humiliate his niece? "I'm so sorry. I didn't think of that. I guess I was so caught up in these new problems, that I wasn't thinking straight."

Han spoke for the first time. "Yeah, that's kind of obvious. But that doesn't make it okay. You get caught up in problems all the time, but I have never seen you like this."

"Han's right," said Leia. "You've changed, Luke. Normally, you're calm, collected. What's happened?"

Luke sighed. He had suspected that he was changing, and now, his sister had confirmed it. "I think it's Ben. Ever since I lost him, all I feel is frustration."

He had hoped that the mention of Ben would calm Leia down, but it only made her more upset. "You lost your son, I get that. But I lost _two_! And have I ever used that as an excuse for my behavior? No! I had a job to do, just like you do, and whatever I was dealing with in my personal life, I had to keep it away from my work!"

Luke hung his head. "You're right. You're absolutely right. I haven't been a good leader. Maybe I'm not fit to be."

The Solos were surprised to hear Luke say this. "What are you saying, Luke?" asked Han. "You're not going to be Grand Master anymore?"

The thought had occurred to Luke. Being Grand Master had always put a lot of stress on him. Now, with Ben gone, he was under even more stress than usual. He could hand the title over to another master, but was that really the wisest course of action when the Jedi were dealing with the Sith crisis? Besides, Leia was right. He needed to find a way to keep his troubles from affecting his job. "I'm not sure what I want. I'll think about it some more after we deal with Dain."

Leia nodded her head, still shocked by Luke's confession. "Where do you plan to look for this evidence?"

Luke answered, "The security footage might still exist in the Imperial Archives. I can access them through the library here at the temple."

* * *

Jaina cried and said, "This is all my fault! I told Jag everything on the way to Zygerria. Dain must have been listening in. Now, we're all in trouble because of me!"

Tahiri Veila hugged her friend. "Don't blame yourself; blame Dain. He shouldn't have been spying on you while you were with Jag."

"Well, maybe I shouldn't have been with Jag! I knew it was wrong, and this only proves it!" It broke her heart to say it, but it was true. Aside from pleasure, nothing good had come out of this affair. The Mission to Zygerria had been a total failure, and resulted in both the Empire and the Jedi getting in trouble for it. The mission only happened because Jaina had promised to sleep with Jag. And now, because of that, Dain knew all of the Jedi's secrets, and was no doubt using them to his advantage at that very moment. Jaina stood up from her bed and said, "I should tell Jag it's over."

"You don't have to do that!" said Tahiri, grabbing Jaina's arm and pulling her back down. "You can still be friends; just don't let it affect your duties as a Jedi." Jaina thought about this, but she still wasn't convinced. Tahiri added, "I envy you, Jaina. I wish I could have what you and Jag have."

Jaina turned to her friend and said, "You _can_ have it. You just need to put yourself out there and get it."

Tahiri shook her head. "There's only one person I ever wanted to be with, and he's gone." She thought about Anakin Solo, the one and only kiss they had shared, and his tragic death. That single event had sent her life spiraling down the drain. She could never fall in love with anyone, ever again.

The chime in Jaina's quarters sounded, announcing a visitor. "Come in," called Jaina.

The door opened and Ahsoka entered. She looked at the two woman and asked, "Are you okay?" Neither of them responded. "Jaina, I wanted to apologize for what happened in there. Your uncle was way out of line, putting you on the spot like that."

Jaina responded, "I guess I deserve it. Everything's messed up because of me. I don't know why I ever slept with Jag in the first place."

"Well, I do," Jaina and Tahiri looked at Ahsoka in surprise. The older woman sat down on the bed next to them and explained, "You've seen some terrible things, and experienced some things most people could never understand. You felt like your life was crumbling around you, and nothing could console you – until a man came along who offered you comfort and friendship. You fell in love, had some great times, but, one day, it wasn't enough. In that moment, when you were at your lowest, you wanted intimacy, and he gave it to you. When you two were together, all of your troubles seemed to disappear, replaced by intense happiness. So you decided to do it again, and again, and again."

Jaina stared open-mouthed. "This happened to you?"

Ahsoka laughed. "Is it _that_ hard to believe? I was young and pretty like you, once." She began to reminisce. "When the Clone Wars ended, I was in the Jedi Temple when the clones attacked. I barely escaped, but everyone I had ever loved was dead. Then, Boba Fett came and made me his partner. Whenever I was sad, I turned to him for comfort. One day, the sadness overwhelmed me, so we decided to try something new. It was scary, at first, but once we found our rhythm, it was the greatest feeling I had ever experienced. So, we kept doing it on a regular basis."

Jaina smiled, glad that someone close could relate to her. But her smile faded as she pointed out, "But Boba Fett left you. Does that mean Jag will leave me, too?"

"Of course not! Boba eventually grew to care more about his job than me. When I told him I didn't want to be a bounty hunter anymore, he lost interest in me. But Jag isn't like that. He genuinely cares about you, and he's a better person because of it. You two belong together, and I would never get in the way of that."

Once again, the wisdom of Ahsoka Tano had allayed Jaina's fears. She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and thanked the former Grand Master.

Ahsoka shifted her focus to the other woman in the room. "Tahiri, you should gather your things. The Halls of Healing will be easier to defend than your quarters, so I think that's the best place to hide you."

Tahiri replied, "You don't have to do this. If you turn me in, the attack won't happen. Don't worry about me; I take full responsibility for my actions."

Jaina shook her head. "You're practically family, and family does not abandon each other. Besides, Dain will find some excuse to attack the temple whether he has you or not."

"Jaina's right," agreed Ahsoka. "Master Skywalker may have a solution that will benefit everyone." A second later, she added, "Except Dain."

* * *

Finding the security footage Luke wanted had been harder than anticipated. As he had expected, the footage still existed in the Imperial Archives, but gaining access to it required him to jump through multiple hoops. He had to send a request to the archivists on the Imperial capital planet, Bastion. After filling out extensive paperwork, he was finally given access through the Jedi Archives. But there was so much footage to sift through, that, even aided by Han, Leia, and several other Jedi, it was a little over an hour until sunset before someone finally found the footage.

They all crowded around a single computer monitor to view a two-dimensional representation of a hologram that depicted much younger versions of Luke and Don Dain. Luke was surprised by how different he had looked back then. Age had not been as kind to him as he had thought.

The footage began to play with holo-Luke saying, "Go rejoin the others. I'm going down there."

"What?" asked holo-Dain. "You cannot leave! We have a mission–"

"–which you must complete without me. I have to save those prisoners."

Luke began to walk away, but paused when Dain raised a blaster and pointed it at him. "I cannot let you do that, Skywalker."

Luke turned around and glared at Dain. "Put it away."

"No. Not until you agree to come with me."

"And what about the other rebels? The prisoners? Ahsoka? Are you willing to let them die?"

"The mission always comes first. We all make sacrifices necessary for victory."

"You're not thinking about the other prisoners. You only care about Ahsoka. You want her to die."

"That's not true!"

"It was you, wasn't it? On Christophsis? You tipped off the Empire. It's your fault that the mission failed. Ahsoka was captured because of you. An entire team of rebels was killed because of you."

Dain appeared to be outraged. "You would dare accuse me of such treachery?"

Luke ignited his lightsaber and pointed it threateningly at Dain. "Don't lie! I can sense your thoughts. It was you! You! I should kill you now. But I don't have time to argue. I'm going after Ahsoka. And you are not going to stop me."

"If you make one wrong move, I will pull this trigger. Come with me, or die."

A few seconds later, Luke deactivated his lightsaber and answered, "All right, Dain. You win. Shoot me."

Dain's jaw dropped in surprise. "What?"

"Go ahead," repeated Luke. "I'm not going anywhere until I've saved the prisoners. If you don't want me to, then you'll have to kill me."

"Well, maybe I will." Dain raised his blaster and pointed it at Luke's chest. But he didn't fire.

"You can't do it, can you? Because you still have a sense of justice, and you know that it would be wrong for you to kill me. What would the other rebels think when they find out that I was killed in your presence? They would lose two of their leaders."

Dain didn't respond. He continued to point his blaster at Luke, but his hands were beginning to shake.

Luke shrugged. "Very well. If you won't kill me, then perhaps I should go." He backed away from Dain a few steps before turning around and running towards the detention block, leaving Dain behind.

The footage ended and Luke smiled. At last, things were going his way. "Once I show this to Dain, he'll have no choice but to agree to our demands."

Leia gave Luke a sorrowful look. "He never actually admitted to tipping off the Empire. Even if we release this to the public, he can still deny it."

"Maybe, but this proves that he threatened to kill me, and that just might be enough. Copy that onto a holodisk. I'll leave for his office immediately."

The Jedi who had found the footage did as he commanded. As the data was being copied, another Jedi suddenly exclaimed, "Master Skywalker! You won't believe what I found!" Everyone else turned to look at the apprentice, who was still in his late teens. As Luke walked over to him, he began to ramble, "Well, I thought, maybe, possibly, there was something already in the Jedi Archives, so I figured, it wouldn't hurt to, you know, start a search. See, I didn't realize that, I accidentally forgot to narrow the search parameters, so it began looking through _all_ of our databases, including the records from the _old_ Jedi Order. But it's a good thing I did forget because otherwise I would not have found this, so, lesson learned; sometimes there is such thing as a happy mistake!"

Luke barely listened to the anxious Padawan. He was too captivated by what the boy had found. He read the file, and then reread it, his mouth agape. He could not believe what he was seeing. His eyes must have been playing tricks on him, or he must have read it wrong. But, judging by the shocked expressions on everyone else's faces, he was not mistaken. This incredible find was real.

Leia's face had gone pale. "How could this be?" she whispered.

Luke's shock slowly turned to anger. "I don't know," he answered, "But Dain's going to have a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

Poor Jaina! I spent a lot of time trying to convey her embarrassment. Luckily, Ahsoka was there to save the day! If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The intercom in Don Dain's desk chirped, prompting him to answer. "Yes?"

His assistant exclaimed, "Your Excellency, I am so sorry! I told him you wanted to be left alone, but he barged right past me!"

Dain frowned. "Who?" Before the assistant could answer, the office doors opened and Luke Skywalker strode inside, appearing even angrier than he had been that morning. To his assistant, Dain said, "Never mind. I will meet with Master Skywalker, just be ready to hear from me if there are any problems."

"Yes, sir." The connection was cut off, leaving Dain and Luke alone.

Dain smiled at Luke in mock pleasantness. "Master Skywalker, what a surprise. Have you decided to turn Jedi Veila over to Alliance custody?" He mentioned for Luke to take a seat in front of the desk.

But Luke did not sit down. He planted both hands firmly on the desk and leaned in over Dain. "No. And you're not taking Tahiri. Instead, you will call off your forces preparing to attack the Jedi Temple."

Dain frowned. "You are in no position to be making such demands, Skywalker. I will not back down. Unless you are surrendering Jedi Veila, we have nothing to discuss. Now leave, before I call security."

To Dain's surprise, Luke placed a portable holoprojector on the desk and pressed a button. A holovid began to play. Dain recognized it as security footage from the Imperial Palace, when he had threatened to shoot Luke for wanting to rescue Ahsoka Tano. After the footage finished playing, Luke said, "I will show this to the entire galaxy unless you call off the attack."

Dain stared at him in disbelief. "You're bluffing. You're too righteous to resort to blackmail. Besides, this does not prove that I committed any crime against the Alliance. This will cause a scandal, at worst, one small enough for me to deal with."

Luke shrugged. "Maybe you're right. But, I don't think it will be a _small_ scandal; at least not when I release _this_!" He pressed another button and the projector displayed a file.

The first thing that stood out to Dain was his picture, except it was an old picture; even older than the Rebellion. As he read the rest of the file, his mouth hung open in shock and his peach-colored face turned red. It was Dain's military record from the Clone Wars, a record he thought had been lost. "Where did you get that?"

Luke answered, "Not everything was destroyed during Order 66. We still have some old files in the Jedi Archives. I was very surprised to find this. It says that you were a Separatist admiral, present in at least twenty campaigns, wining nearly all of them. Your record ends, however, with you showing up inexplicably in a military prison and then escaping a day later."

Luke leaned in even closer to Dain's face. "Now I see why you never talk about your early life; why you hated me and Ahsoka when we joined the Rebellion; why you tipped off the Empire and nearly had us killed! You're a Separatist! You fought against the Jedi in the Clone Wars, and you're still fighting against them today! If the Senate knew this, you'd not only be impeached; you might even be arrested and tried for sedition!"

Dain pounded his own hands on his desk as he stood up. "You have no idea what you're talking about! My loyalty to the Separatists ended long before the war ended! My feud with the Old Jedi Order has nothing to do with what's happening now!"

"Why should I believe you? You've been lying your entire life!"

"With good reason! I'm trying to put my past behind me! You think I'm a monster, but I'm not!" Dain began to explain the circumstances of his youth. "I knew the Old Republic was corrupt – which it was, as it turned out – and I believed that the galaxy needed a new government. I was one of millions who were seduced by Count Dooku's promises, only to discover that they were false! I joined the navy, and worked my way quickly up the ranks until I became a sub-admiral. I almost became a full-admiral, until the Battle of Ord Cestus."

Luke nodded. "I read about that in your file. You were ordered to attack a Republic medical station to steal supplies that the Jedi wanted for the starving planet of Gederon. In the end, however, you lost the supplies, and that was the last time the Republic heard of you for months."

Dain shook his head. "That's not the entire story. I was young, impulsive and foolish. I played with my enemies, creating confusion to the point that they nearly destroyed themselves. I would have succeeded at Ord Cestus, if it weren't for your father! He survived my games, and used my intelligence against me. He _tricked_ me into losing those supplies!"

Luke was thrown slightly off-guard by the mention of his father. Most people he met only remembered him as Darth Vader, not as Anakin Skywalker. Now, it turned out that Dain, of all people, had met Anakin. Luke began to piece everything together. "So, _that's_ why you hate the Jedi? Because you were tricked by my father?"

Dain shook his head gravely. "No. It's because of what happened after that. I was supposed to deliver those supplies to General Grievous. When I returned to him empty-handed, he lost his temper and took it out on me. I had to spend two weeks in a bacta tank because of the injuries he caused. Would you like to know exactly what he did to me?"

Luke shook his head. He had heard stories of the infamous General Grievous, cyborg leader of the Separatist Droid Army. He was responsible for the deaths of countless Jedi, and he collected their lightsabers as trophies. He was also known for his tendency to lose his temper.

Dain continued, "It looked like my career was ruined. I was stripped of command and relegated to serving members of the Separatist council. They treated me like a slave! For two months, I poured drinks, cleaned tables, and washed clothes, all while listening to talk about wealth and glory! I was trapped in a job I wanted desperately to escape from.

"Then, one day, Grievous offered me a chance at redemption. Blindly, I accepted his mission, never suspecting that it was a trick…."

 _60 years earlier…_

As young Don Dain looked out the forward viewport, he was treated to his first live view of Coruscant. He had never been to the capital planet of the Republic before, and he was enthralled by the massive city-planet. He would have enjoyed the visit, but these were not normal circumstances. He was sitting in an experimental cloaked shuttle, surrounded by six large, silent MagnaGuard droids, attempting to infiltrate a Republic military base to rescue a prisoner whom General Grievous wanted.

Dain hated the idea of participating in one of these missions. He much preferred the excitement and empowerment of commanding a battlecruiser. He was not even entirely sure why he needed to be on this mission. Grievous' personal bodyguards were intelligent enough to complete the mission on their own. Nothing about it made any sense, but Dain did not argue. All he cared about was earning his command back.

To his displeasure, the pilot droid landed the shuttle over two kilometers away from the base. They were supposed to drive a speeder the rest of the way, hide it from Republic forces, and then sneak into the prison building. It sounded like too much physical exertion, but Dain was not complaining.

As the MagnaGuards carried out their elaborate plan, complete with grapple guns, frequency jammers, and a trip through the ventilation ducts, Dain noticed that he was only following them. He wished that there was something useful for him to do. Finally, they arrived at the cell containing the prisoner they wanted. Looking at him, Dain was shocked.

The prisoner was a middle-aged man with pale skin and dark hair. Closer examination showed that his face was slightly melted. He sat on a metal bench, unable to move because he was missing both of his legs. What struck Dain as most odd, however, was the fact that he was wearing tattered Jedi robes. Was this man a Jedi? What happened to his legs? Why was he here?

Dain did not have a chance to ask those questions, however. The MagnaGuards deactivated the ray-shield cell door and two of them marched in. The Jedi stared at them in alarm and asked, "What is the meaning of this? Who are you?" The two droids each grabbed one of his arms and lifted him off the bench, yelling in pain and anger. "Put me down! Leave me alone! GUARDS! GUARDS!"

Almost instantly, an alarm sounded throughout the base, and red lights began to flash, startling Dain. He had never been in this type of situation before, and he had no idea what to do. Suddenly, one of the MagnaGuards shoved him into the now vacant cell and activated the ray shield. Now, Dain was the prisoner!

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing? I command you to release me, at once!"

The droid who had shoved him rumbled in a deep voice. "We do not take orders from you; only from General Grievous." All of the droids then turned and ran down the corridor, still carrying the crippled man, who was still screaming for help.

It did not take long for Dain to figure out that this had been Grievous' plan all along. He was still punishing Dain for his failure at Ord Cestus! Apparently, beating him into submission and forcing him into servitude was not enough. Now, Dain was locked in a Republic prison, left to the mercy of the clone troopers who were swarming the cell block, pointing their blasters at Dain.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded the clone commander.

Dain raised his hands in surrender. "Please, this is a mistake! I'm not supposed to be here!"

"Yeah, you got that right."

"I'm serious! It was General Grievous! His MagnaGuards took the prisoner and locked me in here! I'm innocent in all this!"

The commander holstered one of his pistols and pulled a pair of stun-cuffs off of his utility belt. "We'll let Admiral Tarkin be the judge of that."

The handcuffed Dain was then half-led, half-dragged through the base to a sparsely-decorated administrative office. Sitting behind the desk was a Republic military officer Dain could only assume was Admiral Tarkin. He did not wait for introductions. The moment the clones let go of him, Dain launched into his story. "Admiral, you have to believe me. This is all a misunderstanding."

Tarkin raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? It all seems very clear to me. You are a Separatist agent, sent to free a Jedi prisoner who possesses valuable Republic intelligence."

"I did not know about the Jedi, I swear! General Grievous only told me…"

"So you _admit_ you're a Separatist," interrupted Tarkin.

Inwardly, Dain cursed himself for making such an amateur mistake. "Yes, but I only knew that there was _a_ prisoner that Grievous wanted. He never told me who, or why. He only sent me here because he wanted to punish me for a recent failure. The MagnaGuards took the Jedi, and then locked me in the cell! That's all there is to it!"

"I find that hard to believe. There is absolutely no logic to your story. I can only assume, then, that you are attempting to mislead us."

"No!" pleaded Dain. "I'm telling the truth! I have no idea what's going on!"

Tarkin ignored him and instead turned to the clone commander. "Commander Fox, please escort the prisoner to the interrogation room. We'll loosen his tongue soon enough."

Before Dain could utter another protest, he was being dragged once again through the base to a room where he was strapped to a cold, metal table. A black, spherical droid hovered into the room, brandishing multiple tools designed to cut, shock, and burn. The most terrifying feature of all, however, was a large syringe pointed right at Dain. His three eyes widened in terror as the needle drew closer and closer.

Tarkin entered the room and said, "Please, keep in mind that this is still an experimental probe. We are not yet fully aware of its effectiveness at retrieving information, nor the side effects it may cause."

No matter how much Dain struggled, the straps prevented him from moving. The droid plunged its syringe directly into his brain, and he felt a chemical flow through his bloodstream. The droid then began prodding him with its array of torture devices, causing unimaginable amounts of pain amplified by the chemical. The worst part was, no matter how agonizing it was, the chemical prevented Dain from losing consciousness, forcing him to endure every second of torture. Not even Grievous' punishment had been so painful.

Tarkin continued to ask Dain questions about his true mission, and Dain continued to plead his innocence. But the admiral, convinced he was lying, simply ordered the droid to continue its torture, never stopping until Dain told him what he wanted to hear. After what seemed like hours, Tarkin finally ordered the droid to stop. He told Dain, "You were obviously well-trained to resist interrogation. But I am confident that you will confess sooner or later." To the clones, he said, "Take him back to his cell. We will try again tomorrow."

Dain barely registered the trip. He slipped in and out of consciousness every few minutes, and he was completely disoriented whenever he was awake. When he was finally able to regain his focus, he was lying on the metal slab in the cell in which the MagnaGuards had abandoned him. Every single muscle in his body was sore as a result of the interrogator droid. He was filled with terror when he realized that, at any time, the clones could come and bring him back to the torture chamber. The very thought of enduring that pain all over again made him cry. He prayed that, one way or another, he would be released from this prison so he would not have to feel any more pain.

Then, he heard a loud _clank_ , followed by the sound of footsteps. A few seconds later, a figure stopped in front of Dain's cell. The person was nearly two meters tall and clad head-to-toe in silver armor. He removed his skull-like helmet to stare at Dain with cybernetic eyes. "Are you Demood Elppirc?"

Still taking in the man's unnatural appearance, Dain shook his head. "No, I'm Don Dain. If you're talking about the crippled Jedi, he was kidnapped by Separatist droids."

The man cursed under his breath. "Well, this is just my luck. I risk my neck breaking in here, and someone else has gotten to my target first!"

Dain asked, "What do you want him for? Who are you?"

The cyborg answered, "I'm AO-327, bounty hunter. I was hired to kidnap a Jedi traitor called Demood Elppirc. My boss says he has plans for him, although I guess now, I have to go back and tell him I was too late."

Dain suddenly had an idea. "I can help you! The droids who took him belong to General Grievous. If you break me out of here, I can take you to him!"

AO-327 looked at Dain suspiciously. "How do you know where to find Grievous?"

"Because I'm a Separatist!" He then added, "Rather, I used to be. Grievous had me locked in here because of a recent failure. I know exactly how to find him. If you help me escape, you can get the Jedi, and I can get my revenge."

The bounty hunter weighed the offer in his mind. Finally, he said, "All right, Don Dain, you have a deal." Reaching behind him, he pulled a concussion rifle off of his backpack. He fired at the door controls, disabling the ray shield. The moment he did so, however, the base's alarms began blaring. He said, "If you want to stay alive, just follow me."

Keeping up with AO-327 had not been easy, especially when Dain was still recovering from his torture. On top of that, the bounty hunter's escape route involved a great deal of running, jumping, and crawling through air ducts. Every once in a while, they would run into clone troopers, who proceeded to shoot at them. But AO-327 was a skilled fighter, blowing up troopers with his concussion rifle, dodging blaster bolts, and using his environment to his advantage. Dain felt like a fool, hiding in recessed alcoves or running around like a coward while AO-327 did all the work.

Eventually, they emerged from the ventilation shaft onto the roof of the base, where a three-seat ARC-170 starfighter sat. AO-327 tapped a few buttons on his wrist gauntlet, and the fighter's engines roared to life. "Get in!" he yelled, running towards the ship. Dain should have been hesitant. He should have questioned the logic behind fleeing in a Republic ship, or how the bounty hunter was able to control the ship remotely. But, all he cared about now was saving his own skin, so he unquestioningly clambered into one of the three cockpits. AO-327 leapt into the main cockpit and began piloting the fighter away from the base.

Dain let out a sigh of relief, believing that he was safe, but his feelings proved to be short-lived, as alarms began to sound in his cockpit. According to the sensors, a squadron of Republic fighters was firing at them! Dain yelled, "Aren't you going to fight back?"

AO-327 replied. "No need. In a couple minutes, I'll have the hyperspace coordinates, and we'll be out of here. In the meantime, I suggest you hang on!" The cyborg suddenly swerved the ship left so violently that Dain hit his head on the cockpit. But he never had a chance to recover from the injury, as the ship began to buck and yaw like a wild animal, dodging blasterfire from the skilled clone pilots. Dain tried his best to hold on, but he was not used to this kind of flying, and he was slowly but surely getting sick. Just when he felt like he was about to burst, he heard, "We're clear!" and the starfield outside the cockpit coalesced into long streaks of light. Then, the ship jumped into hyperspace.

Dain leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. That had been the most terrifying experience of his life, and he had somehow survived. He drifted off to sleep thinking about how his life was about to turn around. But then, he was awakened by the sound of more alarms, leading him to the conclusion that the ship was once again under attack. He was relieved, however, to learn that the alarms were simply indicating that they had reached their destination.

AO-327 was steering their fighter towards a large cargo ship floating in space. It was of an unusual design; the small cockpit, four stubby legs, and oversized body gave the ship the appearance of a turtle. Dain wondered who owned such a ship, yet was wealthy enough to hire a bounty hunter. He rolled the question over and over in his mind, even as the ARC-170 docked with the freighter's airlock.

Once they were safely inside the ship, AO-327 led Dain to the cockpit to meet his employer. Dain froze when he saw the man standing before him – if he even was a man. The first thing that stood out to him was that this person's lower half had been completely replaced with cybernetic legs that made him much taller than he should have been. He was shirtless from the waist up, revealing blood-red skin covered in black tattoos. His head was similarly decorated, and he had piercing yellow eyes and several small cranial horns. The "thing" snarled, baring his fangs. "You are not Demood Elppirc. Who are you?"

Instinctively, Dain backed away from the frightening figure and into something else. When he turned around to see what it was, he was shocked to see that it was another person similar to the horned man, only much, much larger, and with yellow skin, longer horns, and heavy armor. The monster growled at Dain, prompting the Gran to move towards the first Zabrak.

"My name is Don Dain. I used to be a Separatist Admiral, but General Grievous kidnapped Master Elppirc and put me in his cell."

The Zabrak glared at AO-327. "I told you to bring me Demood Elppirc! Why did you bring _him_ instead?"

The cyborg explained, "When I arrived at Elppirc's cell, I found Dain instead. I was going to leave him there, but he said he could help us find Grievous. I think we should listen to what he has to say."

"I never asked for your opinion in the matter, _bounty hunter_. Your only job was to bring me the Jedi traitor, and you failed. I will decide for myself if this man is useful to us."

AO-327 crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Of course, Lord Maul."

With the bounty hunter silenced, "Lord Maul" circled Dain, his clawed feet clanking with every step. "You say you know where to find Grievous. How?"

Trying to appear brave, Dain explained, "In my service, I've grown familiar with Separatist fleet movements. Grievous tends to keep his fleet in the same place for at least two days before moving. When I left him yesterday, he had just arrived at a Separatist staging area in deep space, four parsecs rimward of Raxus. I can give you the exact coordinates."

Maul suddenly stopped pacing and stalked directly towards Dain. The half-Zabrak towered over the Gran and stared him in the eyes. Dain struggled to stand his ground against the demonic figure. Simply glancing into Maul's yellow, bloodshot eyes revealed the deep rage he was fighting to control. Dain feared that, at any moment, Maul would lash out and kill him.

Finally, Maul straightened up and said, "Very well. You will lead us to Grievous. But, if we arrive at our destination, and Elppirc is not there, I will kill you." Dain paled in fear. He desperately hoped he was right about Grievous. Maul gestured to the pilot's seat and said, "Input the coordinates in the nav-computer. Make sure you get them right."

The trip through hyperspace proved to be one of the most uncomfortable of Dain's life. He was stuck in the cockpit of the turtle tanker, surrounded by a cyborg bounty hunter, a half-Zabrak, half-droid with a suppressed temper, and a silent, hulking monster, whom he soon learned was called "Savage." The name made him shudder. Dain glanced uneasily from one, to the next, to the last, and to the first again, worried that one of them might decide to attack him. He was so on-edge, that he jumped when the alarm chimed, indicating that they were approaching their destination.

They dropped out of hyperspace just beyond sensor range of a fleet of Separatist ships. Most of them were beetle-shaped frigates, but Dain spotted a _Dreadnaught_ -class battlecruiser among them. "That's Grievous' flagship, the _Invisible Hand_ ," he explained.

Maul looked at Dain, his face expressionless. "It appears you were right, Don Dain. But appearances can be deceiving. You will accompany the bounty hunter and myself to the ship, in case you try anything foolish."

Whatever relief Dain had been feeling was suddenly replaced with fear. If Grievous caught him, he would kill Dain without a second thought. Dain wanted to protest, but he was too afraid of making Maul angry. He realized that there was no way he could avoid boarding that ship. All he could do was hope that he escaped with his life.

Maul turned to Savage and said, "Keep the ship out of sensor range unless I signal you."

Savage appeared angry at being told to stay behind, but he did not complain. Maul led Dain and AO-327 to the ARC-170, which was still attached to the tanker. There was one cockpit for each person, but by the time Dain had reached the ship, the only one available was the rear-facing one. When the fighter detached from the tanker and began to fly towards the fleet, all Dain could see was the tanker growing farther away. If Maul had decided to go somewhere else, Dain would never realize it until too late.

Over the intercom, Maul said, "I can sense his presence, like a tortured animal begging for death." He chuckled. "He won't be so lucky."

Dain tensed as Maul's words sunk in. He could _sense_ his presence? Did that mean he could use the Force? Was he a Jedi? If he was, he was unlike any Jedi Dain had ever heard of. Perhaps he was a rogue Jedi who left the order and pursued his own desires. Dain realized with a shudder that Maul might be able to sense his thoughts. He quickly purged all thoughts from his mind, as best he could.

Maul continued, "He is not aboard the command ship. He is aboard that frigate."

"Are you sure?" asked AO-327. "There are lots of frigates; how can you know specifically which one he's on."

"Elppirc's presence is strong and clear. I could pinpoint it from a parsec away."

Dain felt the ship accelerate to the left – his left, the ship's right – toward whichever frigate Maul was speaking of. Dain wondered whether Grievous would really hold such an important prisoner aboard a lowly frigate. It was possible that Grievous was attempting to throw off any rescue attempt that the Jedi might make. Still Dain could not shake the feeling that he was being deceived, whether it be by Grievous, Maul, or someone else.

The ARC-170 shook violently as blasterfire exploded around them. It would appear that the Separatist fleet had spotted them and opened fire. Dain was then forced on another wild ride as the ship evaded the blasterfire while approaching the frigate on which Elppirc was being held. Yet, he still could see nothing from the rear-facing cockpit. That quickly changed, causing Dain to shriek, "There are vulture droids behind us!"

As the pursuing droid starfighters opened fire on the ARC-170, the fighter juked and jived to avoid being hit. The effort was futile, however, when a stray blaster bolt nicked one of the engines, causing flames to erupt from it. Dain screamed in panic as the fighter began to swerve out of control.

But Maul and AO-327 were unfazed. The cyborg said, "We can still make it to the hanger. Just hold tight, and make sure you're strapped in." Dain had heard of pilots making successful crash landings in the hangers of larger ships, but it took a lot of skill, especially when one engine was damaged. Once inside the hanger, it would be difficult to slow down using the ship's thrusters, so they would have to slide across the floor, using friction to slow them down. Dain pulled the straps of his harness, hoping that he would not fly out of his seat due to sudden deceleration.

The landing happened just as Dain had predicted it would. Thankfully, the harness held, but it dug into his body so hard that he feared that it would leave a bruise. When the ship slid to a stop, Dain undid his harness and climbed out of the cockpit. He was amazed to be alive. Maul and AO-327 appeared to be unharmed. Maul glanced at the cockpit readout and announced, "This ship will not fly again. But, at least the homing beacon is still active."

Both Dain and AO-327 stared at Maul in shock. "Homing beacon?" Dain repeated. "But that means the Jedi can find us!"

Maul smiled maliciously. "Precisely."

AO-327 growled, " _That's_ why you told me to steal a Republic fighter? You wanted the Jedi to follow us? Why?"

Despite the bounty hunter's threatening tone, Maul replied calmly, "To provide a distraction, of course. While Grievous and his army are occupied fighting the Jedi, we will steal Demood Elppirc from under both their noses."

It seemed like a good plan, Dain had to admit, but it was fraught with risk, so much so that he himself would never have attempted it. What if the beacon had failed? What if the Jedi suspected a trap and decided not to come? Or, if they did come, what if they came too early or too late? Those were only a few of many possible things that could have gone wrong. How could Maul be so sure that his plan would work?

Before Dain could question Maul, a pair of nearby doors slid open, revealing a squad of skeletal battle droids. "Intruder alert! Intruder alert!" they shouted in their synthesized, monotonous voices, and raised their blasters. Dain ducked behind the ARC-170, but AO-327 raised his concussion rifle and fired into the throng of droids. As soon as the energy bolt hit something, it exploded, taking out multiple droids. But the remaining droids responded by opening fire.

What happened next shocked Dain. Maul unclipped a long, metallic cylinder from his cybernetic torso and held it in front of him. Two blood-red energy blades sprang from either end of the cylinder. It was a double-bladed lightsaber! Maul twirled the weapon as the droids concentrated their fire on him. Incredibly, the blaster bolts bounced off of the blades and flew back at the droids, taking them down one by one. When there were only a few left, Maul lashed out with his left hand and the droids suddenly flew back against the wall, collapsing in a heap of sparking, tangled metal.

Maul deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his torso. As calmly as if nothing had happened, he turned to his companions and said, "Come. Our quarry is this way." He led them through doors and down hallways, often leaving a trail of scrapped droids behind them. At one point Maul froze in place, growling the word "Kenobi." Almost immediately afterward, the frigate shook from impact.

"What's happening?" asked Dain.

Maul answered, "The Jedi have arrived. This should provide a temporary distraction. We must hurry." He broke into a run down the corridor, while Dain and AO-327 tried to keep up. Dain knew the layout of this class of ship, and it was easy to deduce that they were headed to the detention level. His deduction was confirmed when Maul led him and AO-327 into the cell block.

Aside from the spindly B1 battle droids manning the computer consoles, the cell block was occupied by four MagnaGuards. Upon seeing the intruders, they each activated and flourished an electrostaff, tipped at either end with purple arcs of electricity. Dain backed away in fear, but Maul and AO-327 sprang into action. The bounty hunter fired at the central control consoles, blowing them – and the droids – up with a single shot. But security droids and B2 super battle droids, alerted to the disturbance, streamed into the cell block. AO-327 was unfazed, however, and skillfully fought them all off.

Maul, meanwhile, had ignited his lightsaber and was engaged in a duel with the MagnaGuards, whose electrostaffs were lightsaber-resistant. Dain had heard stories of Jedi being defeated by two MagnaGuards, yet Maul was successfully holding off four! His lightning-quick attacks were even faster than the droids', and were accompanied by kicks and acrobatics. His fighting style appeared to be based on martial arts. Dain could not help but marvel at the display as, one by one, the droids were cut down.

AO-327 was still holding off the battle droids when a droid voice announced over the shipwide intercom, "Republic forces have boarded the ship! All troops, report to the main hanger bay!" Shortly after this announcement, droids stopped streaming into the cell block. Satisfied that the danger had passed, Dain emerged from his hiding place to join Maul and AO-327.

Maul led them down the corridor and stopped in front of a cell. Pressing a button, he opened the door to reveal the same legless man Dain had seen on Coruscant. Demood Elppirc, who had been lying on a metal slab, pushed himself up and studied his visitors. Seeing Dain, he suddenly yelled, "You! You helped the droids kidnap me!" He reached out his hand like he was going to attack Dain with the Force, but he froze. Maul was using the Force to restrain him.

Elppirc strained against Maul's attack, but to no avail. Maul purred, "At last, the Jedi Traitor. When the rumors reached my ears, I hardly believed them. But it's true. You have turned your back on the Jedi Order. I have gone to great lengths to find you, knowing that you would prove most useful to me."

The Jedi growled, "No… torture… will… ever… make… me… talk!"

Maul chuckled. "I have no use for your information. I simply need you to serve as bait. When the Jedi learn that I have you, they will send a very specific Jedi to rescue you; one with whom I have been looking forward to a reunion."

Elppirc's anger rose, and he began to fight Maul's hold. "All I want is to be left alone! Why can't anyone see that? Just leave me in peace!"

Maul pushed harder against Elppirc's mind with the Force. "Peace is a lie; there is only passion. And your passion drove you into this situation. You have forfeited any chance of freedom, so you might as well accept your imprisonment so that it may serve a greater purpose." He squeezed his eyes shut and began to grunt from exertion.

Elppirc struggled to resist Maul's mental probe, but he was too weak from whatever torture Grievous must have inflicted on him. He groaned and shuddered as the monstrous Zabrak delved deeper into his mind. Soon, he was crying and begging for mercy. Dain could not help but pity him. Mustering as much courage as he could, he told Maul, "Stop it. Can't you see torture won't work?"

A satisfied smile crept across Maul's face. "But it _is_ working. He carries a secret known only to one other Jedi." Maul paused for a moment as he probed even deeper. "He knows the location… of a weapon… an ancient weapon… one that grants its wielder… ABSOLUTE POWER!" With a gasp, he retreated from Elppirc's mind, panting heavily with excitement. "The legends are true! Fortune has smiled upon me! I have a chance to rule the galaxy!" He laughed giddily.

Dain was not paying attention to Maul; he was too shocked by what was happening to Elppirc. The crippled Jedi was convulsing, repeating over and over, "Peace is a lie! Peace is a lie! Peace is a lie!"

"What have you done to him?" gasped Dain.

Maul answered calmly, "I've left the door open so I can retrieve the rest of his knowledge. We must leave now; the Jedi's distraction will soon be over. Bounty hunter, you know what to do." AO-327 stepped forward and pointed his rifle at Elppirc. Dain was about to protest, but was cut silent when a stun bolt knocked the rambling Jedi unconscious. AO-327 then picked up Elppirc and slung him over his shoulder. Maul ran from the cell, and Dain and AO-327 ran after him.

When they emerged into the corridor, however, they found their path blocked by General Grievous himself! The cyborg general growled in a low, mechanically modified voice. "So, you are the intruders. Who are you?"

Maul replied with a snarl. "I am Maul."

Through his faceplate, Grievous' yellow eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I've heard stories of a Sith Lord named Darth Maul. But you cannot be him; Lord Maul died years ago, at the hand of Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Maul flashed a sadistic smile and replied, "Rumors are often false."

It was then that Grievous' attention shifted from Maul to his companions. He regarded the cyborg bounty hunter with indifference. But the Gran, on the other hand… "Dain!" Grievous shrieked, menacingly enough to make Dain recoil in terror. " _You_ brought them here? And the Jedi as well? I should have killed you when I had the chance!" He reached for two lightsabers clipped to his torso and ignited them, holding them in an aggressive stance.

Maul drew his double-lightsaber and held it out in front of him. To his companions, he ordered, "Take Elppirc to a ship and return to the tanker. I will join you shortly."

Dain was all too eager to run away from Grievous and escape from the frigate, but AO-327 stayed put. "How do I know you're not going to bail on me before I can get paid?"

Maul did not answer. Instead, he launched himself at Grievous, bringing his lightsaber to bear against Grievous'. Dain was aware of Grievous' reputation as a Jedi killer, but he had never seen anything to suggest that the stories were true. But now, watching the cyborg in battle against Maul, he was much less skeptical. Grievous was not as agile as Maul, but he made up for it in speed and superior strength.

The initial round had only lasted ten seconds. As their lightsabers were locked, Maul kicked one of Grievous' knees, forcing him to lose his balance long enough for Maul to deliver a roundhouse kick to the chest, sending Grievous sailing down the hall. When Grievous stood up again, Dain noticed that one of his chest plates was dented from where Maul's clawed foot and impacted against it. Grievous cackled and said, "You fight well, Maul, but it will not be enough to save you!" To illustrate his point, his arms split lengthwise so that he now had four arms. He then drew two more lightsabers so that he was armed with four.

The sight of the monstrous cyborg wielding four lightsabers sent Dain's heart racing. He had never believed the stories that Grievous had four arms. He wondered what other stories were true. The thoughts that came to mind made him shudder. Grievous laughed maniacally and his four wrists began to rotate, giving his lightsabers the appearance of glowing buzz saws. He immediately broke into a run straight towards Maul.

Seeing Grievous charging in their direction like a juggernaut was enough to persuade AO-327 to flee. With Demood Elppirc still slung over his shoulder, he and Dain ran down the corridor. The last time they saw Grievous or Maul, the two were locked in an epic duel.

AO-327 led the way back to the hanger bay, destroying any battle droids that happened to be in his way. Even Dain had picked up a blaster from a fallen droid and had joined the fight. He was not a fighter, however, and had only bothered with basic weapons training. Still, he managed to take destroy a few droids, each one bolstering his courage.

That bravery disappeared, however, when he turned a corner and found himself facing three destroyer droids! They were essentially moving gun emplacements, each equipped with two twin heavy blasters and a deflector shield. Had Dain even attempted to fire, his blaster bolts were not powerful enough to break through the shields. AO-327's concussion rifle, however, was. He fired two shots, each one blowing up a droid.

Before he could fire at the third droid, something odd happened. The droid floated off of the floor and flew directly at the intruders. Dain threw himself to the floor to avoid being hit, but AO-327 was not quick enough. The droid pinned him against the wall, losing its shield in the process. But the cyborg was tough, and he was able to push the droid off of him and crush its single photoreceptor with his boot.

Dain stood up and dusted himself off, relieved that the droids had been destroyed. His relief was short-lived, however, when he heard a voice yell, "There! They have Master Elppirc!" Dain turned in the direction of the voice and saw four Jedi and a dozen clone troopers at the other end of the hall. The lead Jedi, a human male with auburn hair and a neatly-trimmed beard, pointed at Dain with his blue lightsaber and yelled, "After them!"

The next thing Dain knew, he and AO-327, still carrying Elppirc, were running through the ship, being chased by Jedi and clones. All the while, he cursed his rotten luck. Less than twenty-four hours ago, he was being sent to infiltrate a Republic military prison. Then, he himself was imprisoned and tortured. Then, he was conscripted by a Sith Lord with a personal agenda, and brought aboard a Separatist warship. And now, the Jedi were after him, too? How had everything gone so wrong?

The answer was clear: Anakin Skywalker. The Jedi had tricked him into losing Grievous' cargo, and all of the terrible things that had happened to Dain since then were because of the one event. As his anger built, he silently cursed Skywalker and all the other Jedi. On that note, he cursed Grievous and the Separatists, too. Finally, he cursed the Republic, Maul, and Demood Elppirc. He almost cursed AO-327 as well, but decided against it. The cyborg was merely a bounty hunter, whom Maul had kept in the dark the entire time. They were both victims of circumstance.

Dain was snapped away from his thoughts by a nearby explosion. He saw that AO-327 was firing his concussion rifle at the ceiling as they ran, causing chunks of debris to rain down in the hallway, impeding the pursuing Jedi. Dain thought it was a good idea… until he remembered something he had once heard about a flaw in the ventilation systems in these types of frigates. He yelled, "Stop shooting! You'll ignite the–"

His warning was cut short when the entire ship lurched, throwing Dain, AO-327, and the unconscious Elppirc to the floor. The ship began to list to starboard, quickly reaching an angle steep enough for anything not bolted down to start sliding. When Dain recovered his bearings, he saw that Elppirc's body was beginning to slide down another hallway. "Quick! Grab him!"

AO-327 lunged forward to try and catch Elppirc, but the ship was rocked by another explosion violent enough for a large crack to propagate quickly down the length of the hallway. Dain suddenly became aware of a steadily increasing breeze. The cyborg must have felt it, for he yelled, "The ship's venting atmosphere! Time to go!"

Dain peered around the corner at Elppirc's body, which was still sliding away from them. "But what about him?"

"Forget him! If we don't get off this ship now, we'll be sucked into space!" AO-327 ran past Dain towards the hanger bay. After a second's hesitation, Dain followed him. Alarms began to blare, signaling a shipwide evacuation. Battle droids were running past, too preoccupied to notice the intruders. When they reached the hanger, they ran onto the nearest shuttle, making short work of the droids already on board.

AO-327 hopped into the pilot's seat and immediately began to lift off. Dain settled into the copilot's seat and fastened his restraints just as the shuttle surged forward and flew out of the hanger of the doomed ship. They did not see the frigate's destruction, but they could feel the force of the explosion through the vibration of the shuttle. In the confusion, no one noticed the stolen shuttle escape into hyperspace.

 _Present Day_

"After we escaped, the bounty hunter and I agreed not to discuss the incident with anyone. We then went to Malastare and laid low for a while in case Lord Maul came looking for us. About a month later, AO-327 received a job offer he couldn't refuse, so he left. I stayed on Malastare, finding a Gran colony where I lived a perfectly peaceful life, until the Empire took over the planet for its fuel resources. That's when I joined the Rebellion."

Having finished his tale, Dain looked up at Luke and concluded, "Now you understand why I've always held Jedi in contempt. You also understand that my loyalty to the Separatists ended long before the war did. The Separatists were gone, and so were the Jedi. Every reminder of that chapter in my life was gone, and I never had to think about it until you, the son of the Jedi responsible for my suffering, showed up. Can you imagine how that made me feel?"

Luke replied, "Angry, I imagine."

Dain nodded. "But I tolerated your presence, to the best of my abilities. But then, Master Tano arrived, an actual member of the Jedi Order, and began to train you. The thought of a galaxy full of Jedi, serving as a constant reminder of my pain, drove me to a decision that I quickly regretted. My personal feelings were indirectly responsible for the deaths of twelve rebel soldiers, as well as the capture of Master Tano. I was ashamed of what I had done, and I vowed that I would never let it happen again."

"Except it _is_ happening again," Luke pointed out. "I admit, we have made mistakes, and we have been paying for them for years. But that won't stop us from doing what we must to prevent further bloodshed. If you had helped us from the beginning, this entire mess could have been avoided. Now is your chance to make things right. Call off your attack on the Temple, let Tahiri keep her pardon, and give us whatever resources we need to defeat the Sith, or I will publish both the security recording and the file on the Holonet."

Dain's mouth tightened in frustration. "Fine. The Jedi Order is safe – for now. You can go off fighting anyone you'd like, breaking any rule you'd like, sacrificing any life you'd like. But, mark my words, Skywalker, there will be consequences for this."

Luke returned the frown. "There are consequences for everything."

* * *

From Mek Dain's vantage point, the Jedi Temple was nothing more than a silhouette blocking the setting sun. It was a beautiful evening, which only made him happier. He was standing in a mobile command center, from which he could direct the siege of the temple. Hundreds of fully-armed stormtroopers were boarding Alliance dropships, bound for the temple.

In just a few minutes, Mek would give the order to begin the attack. He would watch the battle play out until it appeared certain that the Jedi would win. At that point, he would call in the missile strike to destroy the temple, and the Jedi Order with it. After years of waiting, he would finally have his father's approval for fulfilling his lifelong dream.

As though it had read his mind, the command console projected a hologram of Don Dain. Mek smiled and said, "Ah, Father, I was just about to give the order."

Don glared at his son regretfully and said, "Call off the attack."

Mek's smile vanished, along with his elation. "Excuse me?"

"Call off the attack. New information has come to light."

"What 'new information?'"

"I will explain later. For now, call off the attack."

Mek shook his head in disbelief. He had been so close! What had happened? No doubt, Luke Skywalker had played a trick on the chancellor. In fact, this message could be staged, or even faked! There was no way Don would take away his son's glory!

One of the command center's officers drew his attention. "Commander, orbital patrol just notified us of several unidentified vessels headed towards the temple."

"What?" Mek looked at the viewscreen at studied the scans of the vessels. There were no life forms on board. Perhaps these ships had malfunctioned, and were coincidentally pointed at the temple. That theory was disproved, however, when, off in the distance, he saw the ships fly over the temple, each dropping several objects from its belly. A magnified scan of the temple showed that the "objects" were droids jumping onto the roof. It was impossible to make out any fine details, aside from the fact that they were black. Suddenly, red energy blades appeared in front of each droid and began to spin rapidly.

The officer exclaimed, "The temple is under attack!"

Through Mek's comlink, he heard Don ask, "What was that?"

Mek answered, "Nothing, Father. An overexcited officer, nothing more."

"It sounded like someone said, 'The temple is under attack.'"

Mek stuttered, "Uh, there is no evidence of that. Some ships flew over the temple and dropped some droids on the roof."

The officer added, "Sir, those droids are carrying red lightsabers."

Mek winced. There was no way he could recover from that statement. Now his father would know that something was wrong. Sure enough, after a few seconds, he heard, "Forget your previous orders. Now, your troops are to fight alongside the Jedi to defend the temple."

"But, Father, perhaps we should wait until–"

"NOW, _Commander_! That's an order!"

Commander. Not son. Commander. The word Don called Mek when he was too ashamed of him to acknowledge him as family. And when he pulled rank on him like that, Mek had no choice but to obey. He had hoped that he could delay his father long enough for the droids to finish killing the Jedi. There would be no glory for Mek, but at least he would still get what he wanted. Now, it appeared that he would have to wait a little longer for his vengeance.

Into the command center's PA, Mek announced, "All ships, take off. We have new orders: to fight alongside the Jedi and defend the temple against the invading droids." As he watched the dropships take off from the staging area and fly towards the temple, Mek could feel the anger flowing throughout his body, like a fire burning in his bloodstream.

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it, even though it was very difficult. If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

The Dromund Kaas base was on lockdown. Every Sith had been called to the assembly square where Darth Volatis stood on the raised platform. As she looked out over the sea of 100-plus Sith Knights, warriors, and guards, she smirked. These creatures were bred specifically to fight Jedi. The Skywalker boy would be no match for them. She did not care what Hatus or her siblings thought; she was more than capable of hunting down and killing one boy without their help. By this time tomorrow, they would be apologizing for ever doubting her.

To the assembled crowd, she announced, "As you've no doubt heard, there is a Jedi loose on the base. We have identified him as Ben Skywalker, son of Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker." She paused while a large holoprojector next to her showed the security footage of the young Jedi killing the three Sith guards. The gathered Sith growled and grumbled at the sight of their brethren being killed. Volatis knew that they had been ingrained with a deep hatred of Jedi, and would not rest until this infiltrator had been hunted down and ripped limb from limb.

She continued, "Lord Hatus doesn't think we can catch him on our own, but I disagree. Now is your chance to prove just how skilled you all are. Bar the gates, double-man the watchtowers, and disable all ships so he can't escape. Patrol the entire facility in groups with weapons loaded and comlinks activated. All slaves are to be monitored closely at all times. To accomplish this, they will be working all day, all night, nonstop all week until the boy is dead. That means no breaks, no dinner, and no sleep. Is that understood?"

In unison, every Sith beat his or her chest and yelled to affirm their understanding. They then ran off in every direction to carry out their orders. Volatis admired the vigor with which they moved. It was obvious that they were eager to catch the Jedi, but nowhere near as eager as she was. She still could not believe that Ben Skywalker had been right under her nose for two months. He had made a fool of her, and for that, he must pay. When she caught him, she would cut off his head, show it to her master, and then send it to his father. Then, the Jedi would know that the Sith truly have returned, stronger and more dangerous than ever.

* * *

Ben listened to Volatis' speech from his hiding place behind the corpse warehouse. After what had happened in the kitchen, the base was crawling with Sith intent on killing him. In his efforts to avoid the patrols, he had ended up at the one place the Sith were hesitant to search. The pile of bodies within the warehouse had continued to grow, and the bodies at the bottom of the pile had been rotting for over two months. Naturally, this produced an overwhelming stench that made Ben queasy.

But, he had to endure the smell, otherwise he would be forced into the open. He was still armed with the ax rifle, but that would not be effective against a hundred Sith. He would only fight as a last resort. Until then, stealth was the key to success. Still, the sooner he came up with a plan, the sooner he could get away from the wretched warehouse.

His goal was straightforward: get into the command center and send a message to the Jedi Temple. Of course, this gave rise to numerous complications. He had to get into the building at the center of the base, find the command center, gain access to the interstellar communications array, record his message, and transmit it, all without alerting anyone to his presence. That was next to impossible.

Unless he could create a distraction. But it had to be large enough to draw everyone out of the building, including Volatis. What kind of distraction would do that? Maybe a riot? No, that would put the slaves in too much danger. What about an explosion? Possibly, but it would have to be a big one, and Ben had neither the time nor the resources to pull that off. It occurred to him that he could use his rifle to damage the power generators, causing a blackout. That would work, except the generators were on the other side of the base, likely under heavy guard.

Ben suppressed a frustrated scream. None of his ideas were any good, and he could not concentrate enough to come up with anything better. It was because of that accursed smell! Why did the Sith need to store the bodies, anyway? Whenever a slave dies, why not just throw the body directly into the furnace? It would open up the warehouse for other uses, feed the generators, and, most of all, not smell!

That is when it hit him; the warehouse! If he set fire to the warehouse, the Sith would lose their only power source. Eventually, the generators would run out of fuel, disabling the entire base. To prevent that from happening, every Sith on the base would flock to the warehouse to put out the fire and try to save the bodies. That would leave the command center relatively unoccupied.

But there were two problems with that plan. Firstly, Volatis would immediately realize that Ben had set the fire, and have every Sith on the base search that area for him. There was no way he could get past them all unless he was far away when the fire started. Also, how was Ben going to start a fire? He had learned how to make small campfires using wood and kindling, but he knew nothing about starting fires large enough to engulf an entire building. He had no accelerant, no lighter, and no wood dry enough to burn.

There was a rumble of thunder, prompting Ben to look up. Off in the distance, gray storm clouds were rolling in, illuminated by near-constant lightning bolts. Dromund Kaas was known for having some of the most severe lightning storms in the galaxy. Luckily, the Sith had been prepared for them. Every building had lightning rods that attracted lightning and delivered it safely to the ground so that it could not cause any damage.

It then occurred to Ben that he could use the lightning to set fire to the warehouse. However, there was no guarantee that a bolt of lightning powerful enough to start a fire would hit that particular building. He had to find a way to increase those odds. He studied the warehouse and found the wire that ran from the lightning rod into the ground. He knew that there was a second rod buried in the dirt. If he dug it up and attached it to the warehouse, the lightning would transfer to the walls instead.

Ben did not have a shovel, but he did have the next best thing: the Force. Reaching out with his senses, he probed into the dirt until he found the metal rod. Then, he willed it up towards the surface. He had to jiggle it repeatedly to loosen the packed soil surrounding it, but, after nearly a minute, the rod finally broke through the surface and landed at Ben's feet. Smooth enough.

Now, he needed a way to attach the rod to the warehouse. If he had his lightsaber, he could simply poke a hole in the wall, but all he had was the rifle. He supposed it might be powerful enough to shoot through the wall. Pressing the tip of the barrel to the wall and pulling the trigger, Ben fired a blaster bolt point-blank through the metal. When he removed the rifle, he saw that it had left a burning hole just large enough for the rod to slide through. Stale air that reeked of rotting corpses escaped through the hole, causing Ben to retch. Thankfully, he was able to hold his breath long enough to plug the hole with the rod.

Ben exhaled and stepped back to admire his handiwork. If lighting struck the warehouse, it would set it on fire. But there was still a greater chance that lightning would strike another building instead. Fortunately, he already had a plan. He moved to the building right next to the warehouse and repeated the process, only he stuck that building's ground rod into the warehouse. Now, if lightning struck either of those buildings, the warehouse would catch fire. Satisfied that he had a good plan, he went to carry out the rest of it before the storm arrived.

* * *

Two hours later, Ben had connected the lightning rods of almost every building to the warehouse. For buildings that were further away, he attached their ground rods to the lightning rods of the next building over. Now, nearly the entire base was connected by a network of cables. If lightning struck anywhere on the base, it was likely to be transferred to the warehouse. Hopefully, the Sith were too focused on searching for him to notice his sabotage.

Incredibly, Ben had not been seen by any Sith, much to his surprise. There had been a few close calls in which a guard had caught a glimpse of him, but before they could investigate, Ben had found a hiding place. There were also instances where a passing slave had noticed him, but they remained silent. Either they were hoping that Ben would succeed in thwarting the Sith, or they were too afraid to draw attention to themselves by speaking up. Either way, Ben had thus far eluded capture, and that was all that mattered.

The next part of his plan relied on luck, unfortunately. Rain was starting to fall, and loud thunderclaps indicated that the storm had arrived. Ben had to hope that there was a lightning strike powerful enough to set the warehouse on fire. Until then, all he could do was wait. He was hiding behind a slave hut on the opposite side of the base so that, when the Sith flocked to the burning warehouse, Ben would be nowhere near them.

From his vantage point, Ben watched the warehouse and the dark sky above it. There were occasional flashes of lightning, but no actual bolts. After a couple minutes, from the corner of his eye, Ben noticed a lightning bolt strike another warehouse. He waited for several seconds, but nothing happened. Oh, well. He did not expect it to work on the first try. So he waited another minute for another building to be struck. Nothing happened then, either.

Ben watched for several minutes as lighting struck various buildings throughout the base, never having any effect. Perhaps there had been a flaw in his logic. Maybe what he was hoping for was impossible. If that were the case, then all of that work had been for nothing, and Ben was no closer to contacting the Jedi Temple.

"Come on," he growled softly, as though willing nature to do his bidding. "Come on!" He stomped his foot and let out a stifled groan, venting his frustration. Why would it not work? The Force should have made it work! Did it not care that innocent people were being enslaved and tortured? That Ben was their only hope of freedom? That he had put all of his faith into this plan? Or was everything happening the way the Force willed it to, in which case, Ben had no hope of succeeding.

He sat in the mud and started to cry. He did not care if anyone saw or heard him. Ben had failed, and was ready to accept his fate.

* * *

"Your men are obviously not looking hard enough!" exclaimed Volatis.

General Vonar Dykes growled at her. "My men are the best! They have scoured the entire base a dozen times, checking every nook and cranny, and there is no sign of the Jedi! If they have not found him, then he is not here!"

"He _is_ here!" Volatis emphasized her point by pounding on the conference table. Every Sith in the command center had stopped what they were doing to witness the fiery exchange. Taking note of this, Volatis forced herself to calm down and said, "He _has_ to be here. Where could he possibly go? There are no ships, no civilizations in any direction for thousands of kilometers. He'd starve to death within three days out there."

Dykes conceded, "I do not disagree with you, Lady Volatis, but if the Jedi is here, he is too well hidden."

Volatis almost roared at him about his men's incompetence, but she thought better of it. Their argument had already gone in that direction too many times. Instead, she said, "If we can't find him, then we'll draw him out using the slaves. The Jedi's compassion is their key weakness."

"Do you want us to start torturing them?" Dykes asked hopefully.

"No," she replied grudgingly. "Lord Hatus has made it clear that we can't harm any of the slaves as long as they can work. We need to wear them down, and then punish them for not working hard enough. Make sure everyone is doubly aware that there will be no food or rest until the Jedi is found."

"We've already told them that. It'll be several hours still until the slaves start to collapse from exhaustion."

"We don't have that kind of time! I want the boy found, now!" Volatis stared angrily at Ben's hologram, which was being displayed all over the base. He had spent two months as a slave; surely, it would not be difficult to draw him out! But how could the Sith do that without killing their workforce?

Slowly, an idea came to her. What if they only had to torture one slave? One slave out of a thousand should be an acceptable loss, even for Hatus. She straightened up and looked at Dykes. "That girl he saved in the security footage. Find her and bring her to me. If I'm right, then she's the only slave we'll have to torture to draw the boy out."

Dykes pounded his chest. "I will fetch her myself."

The Sith general was about to leave when a guard suddenly yelled, "Fire in Warehouse 2!"

Volatis stiffened. "Warehouse 2?" she repeated. She looked out the window in the direction of the warehouse. Sure enough, smoke was pouring from holes in the melted metal walls. Whatever was inside the warehouse must have been burning. And there was only one thing inside that particular warehouse. "Put out that fire, NOW!" Before the guard could relay her orders through the PA system, Volatis was already on her way to the warehouse.

* * *

"Fire in Warehouse 2! Repeat: Fire in Warehouse 2! All personnel, report to Warehouse 2 to put out the fire!"

Upon hearing this announcement, Ben stopped crying and looked up. When he saw the smoke, he laughed triumphantly. His plan had worked! It had just taken a little more time than he had expected. Sith and slaves from all over the base were now hurrying towards the warehouse, including command personnel. Ben knew that there were water pumps that could be placed in the river, as well as fire hoses that could be hooked up to them, but the base had never had to use them before. It would take time to set everything up.

Ben picked up his stolen rifle and stealthily darted from building to building. Just as he had predicted, all of the guards were running away from him, so no one saw him approach the command building. Peering out from a recessed alcove, he saw Volatis by the warehouse, barking orders to everyone around her. It was now or never. When he was sure that no one was looking, Ben ran into the command building.

* * *

The warehouse was doomed. That much was clear. Whatever had happened to the building had caused the doors to melt together. As the strongest Sith warriors tried to pry the doors open, their hands began to burn from prolonged exposure to the hot metal. Even when they wore heavy-duty gloves, they could not withstand the heat for long, and they were forced to give up. Finally, Volatis ordered a pair of Sith Knights to cut the doors open with their lightsabers. When the doors finally opened, a wave of heat, coupled with the most horrible stench, caused everyone to recoil.

When Volatis recovered, she looked into the warehouse, raising her hand to shield her eyes from the light. The massive pile of corpses, stretching all the way to the walls and ceiling, was engulfed in flames. There was no way anything could be salvaged. The base's only fuel source was gone.

Whatever despair Volatis may have felt was quickly replaced by anger. She was not sure how or why, but there was no doubt in her mind that Ben Skywalker was responsible for this. That boy had sabotaged the entire operation. Without bodies, the Sith could not feed the generators. Without the generators, the base would have no power. Without power, there would be no light, no heat, no communications, and no defense cannons. The base would be utterly defenseless.

General Dykes approached Volatis. "We need to call for reinforcements from Korriban before the power goes out."

Volatis' head snapped in his direction. "No! I promised Hatus that we could capture the boy by ourselves! If we call for help, then we prove how ineffective this base is!"

Dykes growled. "Even if we capture the boy, how do you intend to keep this base running?"

"If you just shut up and let me think, I'll tell you!" she snapped back. When the Sith general did not respond, Volatis' mind began to whir. If any of the other Sith bases tried to contact Dromund Kaas while the power was out, Hatus would immediately know that something was wrong, and he would send reinforcements anyway. And then, he would punish Volatis for her miserable failure. She had to keep the base from losing power, and that meant finding new fuel for the generators. "Take any slave that's underperforming and throw them directly into the furnaces. Let them burn to death; that should catch the boy's attention."

Dykes began, "But you just said that Lord Hatus–"

"Lord Hatus doesn't know how many slaves we have. He won't notice if a few are missing. You have your orders, General, now carry them out. And make sure that the only ones who know about this will never speak of it to anyone. Hatus can never find out what happened here. Understood?"

Dykes bowed. "Yes, ma'am."

As the Sith walked away from her, Volatis called out to him, "And make sure that girl is one of the first to die!"

* * *

Ben's distraction had worked so well that the command building was mostly empty. What few Sith he encountered were unarmed and startled to see him. Ben made quick work of them with his rifle. He made his way up to the communications center and jammed the doors shut so that he would not be interrupted. Sitting at the console, he began to toy with buttons and switches, trying to learn how to use the Sith's equipment. After a couple minutes, he figured it out.

Ben knew that in order to convince the Jedi that it was really him sending the message, and not the Sith attempting to lure them into a trap, he had to record a hologram that included his image. He turned on the holorecorder and began his message.

"This is Ben Skywalker. I'm alive, but I'm a prisoner on a Sith base on Dromund Kaas. The Sith have kidnapped innocent people from the Outer Rim and are using them as slaves to build weapons. I've been trying to gather whatever information I can, but my cover's been blown, and the Sith are after me. If you get this message, please send help ASAP. Hundreds of innocent lives depend on it."

After he had finished recording, Ben input the frequency corresponding to the Jedi Temple. And then, he hit "send." A readout on the console confirmed that the message was on its way to Coruscant. The Jedi should be receiving it within a few hours. He only hoped that they were not too busy to notice it.

* * *

I'd like to point out that I am well aware that the lightning rod trick Ben used would not work in real life. That was one of the times I had to cheat to make the story work. Besides, it's _Star Wars_ , where the laws of physics are different. If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Airspeeders honked and drivers cursed as Luke Skywalker zipped past them. Upon hearing Mek Dain's officer mention that the Jedi Temple was under attack by lightsaber-wielding droids, he had run out of the chancellor's office and boarded his speeder. Now, he was flying straight towards the temple at high speed, swerving left and right in the traffic lanes to avoid hitting other speeders going slower than he was.

Once or twice, he was nearly in an accident because he was distracted thinking about his meeting with Don Dain. Luke was still trying to wrap his head around the story that the former Separatist had told. He had to admit, he now felt a little sympathy towards his long-time opponent. It almost made Luke regret blackmailing him. He put those thoughts to rest by reminding himself that Dain had been lying and manipulating everyone for decades. It was entirely possible that the story was a lie as well, at least in part. Besides, Luke had managed to dissuade Dain from attacking the Jedi, and now they could devote all their attention to fighting the Sith.

By the time the Jedi Temple came into view, the sun had set, and the sky was darkening. By all outward appearances, nothing was out of the ordinary. But looks were often deceiving, and Luke could sense the panic and pain of his fellow Jedi within their sanctuary. Alliance dropships were parked all across the roof, surrounded by stormtroopers rushing through each of the temple's entrances. Hopefully, this meant that Mek had followed his father's orders and committed his forces to defending the temple against the droids.

Luke set his speeder down amidst the other ships, dismounted, and ran up to the ranking officer. "What's the status, Lieutenant?"

The officer replied, "Master Skywalker, the droids have spread throughout the temple. We've coordinated with Master Tano to divide our forces in defense of key areas."

Luke relaxed somewhat, glad that the Jedi and the Alliance military were once again working together. "What do we know about the invaders?"

"So far, only droids. They are humanoid, average height, moderately armored, and armed with red lightsabers. I can't give you any more specifics, other than the fact that they are black. This makes it easy for them to hide in dark spaces and pounce from the shadows."

The information, though sparse, confirmed that the droids were designed to fight Jedi. Luke was certain that the Sith were behind this attack, although there was no proof. He asked, "Do we know how many landed on the temple?"

"The command center's sensors picked up almost a hundred of them. They also picked up one unidentified biological, but we haven't seen it yet."

Luke frowned in confusion. Only one biological? Possibly a Sith warrior? Why would the Sith send only one warrior against the entire Jedi Order? It made no sense. Maybe it was one of the Sith assassins. Sinestro, perhaps? He relayed his concerns to the officer. "I think that biological might be one of the assassins from Chancellor Dain's inauguration. Order your men not to engage until after they have reported his or her location."

The officer saluted. "Understood, sir." He walked away and began to bark orders into his comlink. Luke, meanwhile ran to the nearest entrance, lightsaber in hand, and into the besieged temple. It was eerily quiet, compelling Luke to walk slowly so he could hear any approaching enemies. Unfortunately, droids and other non-living things had no discernable Force presence, so Luke would be unable to sense them coming. However, he could use the Force to heighten his other senses, which would allow him to hear the low hum of servomotors or feel the vibrations from mechanical footfalls.

It was for that reason that Luke jumped out of the way in time to avoid being halved by a red energy blade. He ignited his green lightsaber as he whirled around to face his assailant. It was definitely a droid, but it was unlike any Luke had ever seen. It was just as the officer had described – black, humanoid, average height, moderately armored – although far more intimidating in actuality. Its armored chest showed burn marks from blasterfire that failed to penetrate it, and its limbs were thicker and stronger than those of humans. In place of a head, the droid had a dark, 360-degree panoramic photoreceptor that allowed it to see in all directions at once, making it nearly impossible for anyone to sneak up on it. But the most frightening feature of all; two double-bladed lightsabers with 75-centimeter-long blades, held in hands that could rotate continuously at deadly speed.

The droid lunged at Luke, its spinning lightsabers forming a red shield. Luke knew that attempting to attack would only result in his weapon being knocked out of his hand. He needed to figure out a plan of attack. Until then, all he could do was try to evade the droid. It thrust one spinning lightsaber at Luke, forcing him to jump backwards, and then it swung at him with its other lightsaber, causing him to duck. Luke then rolled to the side as the droid stomped its foot hard enough to crack the floor. The Jedi took the opportunity to stab at the droid's ankle, but its spinning lightsaber knocked Luke's weapon away. Fortunately, it had only hit the tip of Luke's saber, so he still had his weapon in hand.

Noticing where its adversary was, the droid turned to face him, held one lightsaber in front of it, and began to walk forward. Luke scuttled backwards to avoid having his feet sliced off by the spinning blades. He then reoriented himself into a log roll until he had gained enough distance to get back on his feet. Then he thrust his lightsaber into the center of the red arc, destroying both the droid's lightsaber and its hand. But there was no time for Luke to relish his victory, for the droid, undeterred by the loss of its hand, continued to attack with its other saber.

The droid swung and stabbed repeatedly, and Luke dodged each blow while he came up with another idea. The trick he had used on the first lightsaber would not work again unless the droid stopped moving long enough for Luke to aim at the "bull's eye" formed by the spinning hilt. Somehow, he doubted that the droid would make the same mistake twice. He decided to use the only other weapon he had; the Force. Jumping as far away from the droid as he could, Luke built up and unleashed a Force blast that knocked his enemy against the wall. Stunned momentarily, the droid stopped spinning his lightsaber long enough for Luke to lunge in and stab the droid in the chest. It let out a low groan as its power was completely drained.

Having defeated his foe, Luke deactivated his lightsaber and continued through the temple, keeping his senses open for any more droids… or the Sith assassin.

* * *

The atrium of the Jedi Temple had become a battlefield. Jedi and stormtroopers were scattered about the large, open area, fighting the Sith droids. Some troopers were stationed on the balconies, firing down at the droids, while others took cover behind the massive pillars supporting the ceiling. But very few of their shots hit their targets. The droids' lightsabers spun fast enough to deflect most of the blaster bolts, and their armor was tough enough to absorb what few bolts were lucky enough to get through the improvised shields.

The Jedi's luck was not much better. The droids' speed, agility, and spinning lightsabers made it nearly impossible to score a debilitating hit. Often, it took two, three, or even four Jedi working together to take down just one droid. This strategy usually involved attacking the droid from all sides with two Jedi keeping the droid's lightsabers occupied while the others thrust their weapons into openings created by their comrades. Unfortunately, the droids were smart enough to quickly figure out and counter the tactic.

Ahsoka Tano had somehow found herself locked in battle with two droids at once, both coming at her from either side. She jumped, ducked, and twisted to avoid the four spinning lightsabers swinging in from all directions, and even struck back with her own lightsabers every now and then, even though her green and yellow blades bounced harmlessly off of the red ones. She was beginning to get tired, and knew that she needed to end the duel quickly.

After thinking for a second, she backflipped over one of the droids, landing behind it. Before the droid had a chance to react, Ahsoka used the Force to throw it against the other droid. The first droid was carved into thin slices as it collided with the second droid's spinning lightsaber. She allowed herself to relax, unaware that the second droid was still intact and preparing for another attack. It threw the first droid's mangled corpse at Ahsoka, knocking her down, and then charged forward with both lightsabers spinning. Too tired to fight back, the Jedi Master simply reached out with the Force, probed the inner workings of her opponent's weapons, and willed them to fly apart. The lightsabers exploded, leaving the droid defenseless. Unsure of how to respond to this unexpected tactic, it just stood there while Ahsoka cut it in two with a vertical slice down the center of its body.

With both droids destroyed, Ahsoka deactivated her lightsabers and leaned back against the wall. She was getting too old for this. She took a minute to rest and catch her breath before forcing herself to rejoin the action. From her position on one of the upper level walkways, she could observe the entire atrium. It was clear that the battle was not going well. The bodies of at least fifty stormtroopers were scattered throughout the atrium, often cut into several pieces. Several Jedi had fallen as well, much to Ahsoka's dismay. And, from what she could tell, only a dozen droids had been destroyed. No, the battle was not going well at all.

Ahsoka knew that unless she found a way to turn the tide of the battle, the Jedi would surely lose. She thought back to the many battles she had participated in during the Clone Wars and the Yuuzhan Vong War, searching for similar circumstances and remembering various counter tactics. At the same time, she surveyed the atrium as she would any other battlefield for terrain or objects that could benefit the Alliance forces. A minute later, she had a plan.

After setting her comlink's frequency to match that of the stormtroopers, Ahsoka relayed her orders into it. "This is Master Tano with new orders. All troops on the ground floor, fall back to the tops of the main staircases. Troops on the balcony, lay down cover fire for them. Prepare to receive further orders soon." Reaching out with the Force, she sent mental images to the other Jedi, explaining her plan. Pretty soon, all of the Jedi and stormtroopers were following her orders, each one retreating to the nearest staircase. The troopers on the upper levels continued to fire at the droids, keeping them occupied long enough for their companions to reach the tops of the stairs.

Ahsoka then gave her next orders to the stormtroopers. "Form a line at the top of each staircase. On my command, concentrate all fire on the nearest droids." The troopers moved into position and pointed their blasters towards the bottom of the stairs. The Jedi stood a few steps below them, holding their lightsabers in various defensive positions. Ahsoka went to the nearest staircase and stood alongside her fellow Jedi. As she had expected, the Sith droids had spread out and were moving up the stairs, holding their spinning lightsabers out in front of and behind them. With everyone in position, Ahsoka yelled, "Open fire!"

Throughout the atrium, stormtroopers fired repeatedly at the droids coming up the stairs while the Jedi defended them from shots that were deflected by the droids' lightsabers. Naturally, the droids that were further up the stairs than the others took the brunt of the coordinated attack. With dozens of blaster bolts raining down on them, the droids were unable to block them all. One by one, the closest droids were peppered by blasterfire and destroyed, their bodies falling down the stairs. As each droid fell, the fire concentration shifted to the droid immediately behind it.

As the barrage of blasterfire continued, the droids' ascent gradually slowed, stopped, and then reversed. Ahsoka looked around the atrium and saw that, on every staircase, the droids were moving away from the stormtroopers. Even their computer processor brains knew that it was harder to aim accurately at a distant target. By moving away, the troopers were less likely to hit the droids. But Ahsoka knew just how to fix that. "Push forward!" On her command, the Jedi and stormtroopers marched down the steps, continuing to fire at the droids.

As more droids succumbed to blasterfire, the Alliance forces pushed the remaining droids into the center of the atrium, forming a ring around them. Overwhelmed by this tactic, the droids were forced to halt their attack while they tried to compute a response. That indecision proved to be their undoing, as they were all destroyed within a minute.

The Jedi and stormtroopers let out triumphant cries, celebrating their hard-earned victory. But Ahsoka said, "The battle isn't over yet. There are still other droids spread throughout the temple. Split up and clear them out!" With renewed confidence, the Alliance forces left to carry out their orders. Ahsoka, meanwhile, used the respite to meditate. She wanted to be relaxed for the next fight, and also to see if she could feel Luke's familiar presence in the temple.

Suddenly, she gasped as if she had been hit with a wave of cold water. She could sense Luke, fighting for his life against the Sith droids, but another Force presence had quickly overpowered his own. This presence reeked of malice and death, such that Ahsoka had not felt in decades. A chill ran down her spine as she remembered to whom that presence had belonged. She sped off in Luke's direction, hoping that she would not arrive too late.

* * *

Every droid was harder to beat than the last. At least, that was how Luke felt as he struggled against his third droid. When he first saw it, rather than launch into a duel, he had decided to follow it, hoping that it would wander into an area where Luke could gain a tactical advantage, or where other Jedi could help him fight it. That had proven to be harder than anticipated. The droid's 360-degree vision made it nearly impossible for Luke to hide from it. The droid had eventually spotted him when they entered the corridor leading to the communications center.

As their sabers clashed, Luke tried every trick he could think of, but to no avail. Either the droid had learned from its companions' mistakes – unlikely, but not impossible – or Luke was beginning to tire. As the duel wore on, the Jedi Grand Master found himself relying less and less on physical strength, and more on his connection to the Force. He was able to foresee his opponent's moves almost before it made them, which allowed him to defend himself better.

The droid, with its lightsabers both spinning clockwise, held one weapon in front of it while preparing to swing the other in at Luke. Almost without thinking, Luke thrust his lightsaber in between the spinning blades as they overlapped, one in front of the other. One red blade pushed up while the other pushed down, holding the green blade in the center. With a grunt of effort, Luke pushed his lightsaber into the droid's chest, destroying the CPU housed within. Without its brain, the droid shut down.

Unfortunately, the grinding of the three energy blades pushing against each other had resulted in a loud screech, drawing the attention of the droids in neighboring corridors. Luke soon found himself helplessly surrounded from all sides by Sith droids, each advancing on him with its deadly spinning lightsabers held to its sides and angled inward like a wedge. Holding his own lightsaber defensively, Luke took in his surroundings, desperately searching for a way out. Summoning as much Force energy as he could, he made a sweeping motion with his arms to push all of the droids away from him. To his surprise, however, they stuck their lightsabers into the floor, creating enough friction to keep them from flying. That tactic was not likely to work again. Luke knew there was little chance he would be able to fight all of the droids on his own, and the ceiling was too low for him to jump over them. He was trapped.

Suddenly, one of the droids exploded. Surprised by this, the other droids halted their advance to see what had caused their companion's destruction. After a second, the smoke cleared to reveal a man wearing silver armor and a skull-like helmet, holding a smoking concussion rifle. Luke did not hesitate to question the mysterious person's identity. Instead, he threw his lightsaber like a boomerang at the nearest droid, using the Force to spin it in the same direction as the droid's lightsaber. This allowed his saber to pass through the droid's improvised shield and slice through its arms and torso. Luke then summoned his weapon back into his hand and continued to fight alongside his new "ally."

While Luke dueled the droid that had been standing behind the one he had just destroyed, the silver-armored man was firing at the other droids with his concussion rifle. Unlike blaster bolts, rather than being deflected by lightsabers, concussive blasts exploded upon impact. The blocked blasts were not strong enough to destroy the droids, but they were effective at knocking them off-balance. However, the rifle needed a second to cool down before it could be fired again, allowing the droids to advance on the mercenary.

Luke had a clear path to the man, and briefly considered abandoning his duel to help him. But before Luke could make a decision, the mercenary allowed himself to fall over backwards and activated rocket boosters in his boots, propelling himself away from the other droids. As he did so, he tossed a metallic sphere into the throng and pressed a button on his wrist gauntlet. Instantly, the sphere hummed to life and the droids were magnetically yanked towards it, their lightsabers slicing through them in the process.

Now Luke was fighting the only droid left. To his surprise, the mercenary pulled a vibroblade out of his backpack. Outwardly, it looked like a thin, metal sword, but Luke had had enough experience with vibroblades to know that they were dangerous. The hilt contained an ultrasonic vibration generator, causing the blade to vibrate at such an incredible speed that even the slightest glancing blow became a gaping wound. Some blades were known to have been infused with cortosis, a rare lightsaber-resistant metal. The mercenary's blade appeared to be one of those.

Luke and the mercenary fought side-by side, bringing their blades to bear against the droid's. Together, they were more than a match for the droid. At one point, it thrust one spinning lightsaber at the warrior, who responded by thrusting his vibroblade directly into the saber's arc. The angular velocity would have disarmed any normal person, but the man was stronger than he appeared, and he was able to slow the lightsaber enough for him to reorient his blade to slice through the droid's hand.

Now down to only one weapon, the droid was even more hard-pressed to fight the Jedi and the mercenary. After almost no time at all, the droid's left hand was similarly severed and its torso sliced open by the vibroblade. The weapon had cut several wires in the droid's brain, permanently disabling it. The battle was over.

Luke deactivated his lightsaber and turned to the masked man. "Thank you. You saved my life."

In a synthesized voice, the man replied, "Don't forget that, because I won't." He turned off his vibroblade and slid it back into his backpack.

As the man began to walk away, Luke asked, "Who are you?"

The man stopped, turned to face Luke, and answered, "AO-327, bounty hunter."

Luke remembered that name from Don Dain's story. "I take it Chancellor Dain hired you to attack the temple."

AO-327 shrugged. "It was just a job for an old acquaintance. He changed his mind, so that makes us allies now, Master Skywalker."

Luke nodded simply, not entirely thrilled at the prospect of working with this bounty hunter.

He turned around and started down the corridor, but froze when he heard a nearby explosion. He turned back to see that AO-327 had fired his concussion rifle at something down another corridor. Luke ran up to him to see what it was. At the end of the hall was a door with an arc burned through it. Sprawled on the floor were the smoking remains of a Sith droid. Luke surmised that the droid had been trying to cut its way through the door when AO-327 had spotted it.

The bounty hunter must have been thinking the same thing. "What's through that door?"

"The communications center," answered Luke.

AO-327 tilted his head in confusion. "That's not normally a place droids try to break into. It must have been malfunctioning." Without another word, the bounty hunter walked away, searching for another droid to fight.

But Luke stayed behind. His feelings told him that the droid had not malfunctioned. Something was not right. That particular room was only used for sending or receiving messages. There were plenty of more valuable targets within the temple. Also, given that combat droids were given little to no creative thinking, they would only try to break into a room if they had been specifically programmed to do so. Luke surmised that the Sith must have wanted something in that room, and he would rather not wait for them to get their hands on it to find out. He walked down the hallway and used the Force to open the doors.

Curiously, the lights were off, so the room was illuminated only by the brightly lit Coruscant buildings outside the window. Before Luke even thought about turning on the lights, one of the communications consoles began to glow blue, indicating that a message had just been received. Luke knew that this was hardly the time to be checking messages, but he was curious. He walked over to the console and reached for the "answer" button.

Luke froze as a dark Force presence made itself known. A familiar cackle sent a chill down his spine, and a raspy, guttural voice behind him growled, "We meet again, 'Young Skywalker.' Hooo heh heh heh heh heh heh heh."

* * *

Action-oriented chapters are normally hard to write because action usually requires visual media. But I'm very pleased with how this chapter turned out. And that ending... I don't think I have been that excited to write something since the ending of my first story! If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	22. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

With speed that surprised even himself, Luke Skywalker ignited his lightsaber and spun around to face the source of the voice. The Jedi Temple communications center was now dimly lit by the green energy blade, including the black-cloaked figure standing not three meters away from Luke. The person's hood obscured the top half of his face, but Luke could still make out the pale skin and heavy wrinkles around his mouth. The man cackled, revealing rotten teeth, and asked, "I'm sorry, did I frighten you? I thought the Jedi were supposed to be above fear."

Luke was stunned speechless. Still, he managed to croak, "Who are you?"

The man's smile slowly contorted into a growl. "Do not insult me by playing ignorance. You know very well who I am."

With every syllable, the guttural voice chilled Luke to his bones, and the ghost of searing pain prodded his muscles. But the Jedi Master suppressed those feelings so that they would not distract him during this encounter. "The real Emperor died almost forty years ago. All of his clones have since been destroyed. He's nothing but a distant memory now."

With his elbows bent and his hands hanging in front of him at waist level, the man slowly walked towards Luke, saying, "The Sith Orb has powers that your dogmatic Jedi mind cannot possibly contemplate. Including the power to resurrect the dead."

The communications console prevented Luke from backing away, so he was forced to stand his ground as the malevolent figure drew closer. As he did so, the light shining through the windows partially illuminated the upper half of his face. Luke could now make out the piercing yellow eyes glaring at him from beneath the hood. Those exact same eyes had stared Luke down once before aboard the second Death Star.

Without a doubt, this man was none other than Emperor Palpatine.

As the realization dawned on Luke, Palpatine stopped walking and chuckled. "Now you see. Just as Lord Hatus created Sith warriors by rearranging matter, he created me."

Luke was still trying to wrap his head around Palpatine's shocking appearance. It took several seconds for his words to fully sink in. "Lord Hatus?" Luke could not help but ridicule the name.

"Ah, yes," Palpatine replied, "I suppose you wouldn't know him by that name. Although, I'm sure you recognize his real name – Demood Elppirc. He has been using the Sith Orb to rejuvenate himself, and declared himself the new Sith Master."

Luke felt a pang of guilt upon hearing Elppirc's name. The mad Jedi had not been seen nor heard from ever since he escaped from the Jedi Temple with the Sith assassins. Recently, Luke had allowed doubt to leak into his mind, hoping beyond hope that Elppirc was dead. Now, he finally knew the truth. Demood Elppirc had returned to power, all because Luke had showed him mercy.

Palpatine's expression became one of mock sympathy. "Oh, yes. It must be painful knowing that you are responsible for the return of the Sith, especially since you tried so hard to destroy them in the first place. It's a pity, really, how much tragedy has befallen your family. Perhaps if you had joined the dark side when you had the chance, you would not have been powerless to save them."

Luke could feel his temper rising with every word the Emperor said. But he had to keep his emotions in check. He knew that Palpatine was trying to manipulate him into turning to the dark side. "You're wrong. In spite of everything I've lost, the galaxy is a far better place because I chose the light."

"Is it really?" Palpatine asked. "Even after the Yuuzhan Vong? Remind me, how many people were killed in that conflict?" He tilted his head upward, pretending to think. "Three trillion? No, thirty trillion?"

Hesitantly, Luke answered, "Three hundred sixty-five trillion."

Palpatine feigned shock. "That many? Oh dear, how dreadful." He shook his head sorrowfully and said, "That is vastly greater than I originally foresaw."

Luke frowned. "You knew the war was going to happen?"

"Oh, yes. I had been aware of the Far Outsiders since the Empire began. I did not tell anyone, of course; no need to start a panic. But, I assure you, I did not hesitate to make preparations for the invasion. Unfortunately, my plans were disrupted by a more immediate threat – the Rebellion. Which is why I sent Grand Admiral Thrawn into the Unknown Regions to carry out my plans. After the Battle of Endor, he returned to reunify the Empire so that the galaxy would stand a better chance against the Vong.

"I do not deny that the Empire was responsible for much death and destruction. But, the reality is, we would have prevented the Yuuzhan Vong from setting foot in the galaxy, saving those 365 trillion lives. Ironic, isn't it? You thought your rebellion saved the galaxy, when all it did was cause more damage."

"You lie!" exclaimed Luke, abandoning his attempts to remain calm. "You're just saying things so I'll turn to the dark side."

Palpatine scowled. "That, _Jedi_ , is where you are wrong. I no longer wish for you to join me. _I_ wish to join _you_."

Luke had never been caught so off-guard in his life. The most evil being in the galaxy wanted to join the forces of good? After he had recovered from the shock of Palpatine's statement, logic regained control of his mind. This was no doubt a trick. But, curiosity got the better of Luke, prompting him to ask, "What are you talking about?"

A hint of a smile played across Palpatine's face, but only briefly. "We have a common enemy, Master Skywalker. 'Darth Hatus' is not a true Sith. He is a madman who thinks he has power. If he has his way, he will build an empire that would rival that of the ancient Sith. Contrary to your belief, I do not want this. The old Sith were corrupt, short-sighted creatures led by squabbling, power-hungry masters. They waged entire wars amongst themselves, more often than not over the Sith Orbs. They thought that, with the orbs, they could purify the dark side of the Force and achieve absolute power. They were too blind to see that the orbs were perversions of the Force, and only gave them the _illusion_ of power.

"That is why, during the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, Darth Bane tricked the Sith into destroying themselves, along with the orbs, so that he could begin a new, enlightened Sith Order. He instituted the Rule of Two, allowing the Sith to survive unnoticed for a thousand years. His beliefs have been passed down from apprentice to apprentice. It is to those beliefs that I credit my rise to power. And now, Lord Hatus wishes to desecrate the Sith name by plunging the galaxy back into chaos! We must not allow that to happen."

"And it won't," said Luke. "The Jedi and the Alliance will stop him."

Palpatine laughed and shook his head. "You're still as naïve as ever, I see. How can you stop an enemy you do not understand? You have no idea how Hatus thinks, what his plans are, his strengths and weaknesses. And even if you do, your Alliance cannot function as long as corrupt politicians like Don Dain are in power." He gave an innocent smile and said softly, "I can help you with all of this. I can eliminate Chancellor Dain and keep the Senate under control. I can help the Jedi plan its attacks against the Sith. With my help, you will finally bring peace to the galaxy."

It sounded like a good offer, Luke had to admit. If the past year was any indication, the Jedi had no chance of even _finding_ the Sith, let alone defeating them. He was even convinced of Palpatine's desire to see Elppirc – no, Hatus – and his Sith destroyed. Plus, things would be so much easier if Dain and the Senate were out of the way. Luke's heart told him that Palpatine's offer was genuine, and he was tempted to accept it. But he knew better than to trust the Emperor. "What do you want in return?"

Palpatine appeared surprised. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You wouldn't be offering to help the Jedi unless you got something out of it."

The Emperor chuckled and replied, "Very clever, Skywalker. As a matter of fact, I do have one condition; that the Sith Orb not be destroyed."

Alarms sounded inside Luke's head. "Why not?" he asked suspiciously.

"If the orb is destroyed, then everything that was created by it will also be destroyed, myself included. That may sound appealing to you now, but, when a new threat emerges, you would need my help in dealing with it. Besides, once this entire ordeal is over with, I would like to start a new life."

Luke did not like the sound of that. Prior to the Clone Wars, Palpatine was, by all appearances, a kind and innocent man. No one realized that he was secretly a Sith Lord manipulating both sides of the war to achieve his own ends. What was to stop history from repeating itself? "How do I know you won't take the orb's power for yourself? What's to stop you from taking over the galaxy again?"

Palpatine's smile wavered and soon became a tight-lipped frown. "Do you really believe I would be so dishonorable?"

"You're the most dishonorable being who ever lived. You're a liar and a murderer; you always have been. Millions of innocent people have been killed in your name, simply because you view them as inferior. The truth is, every single one of them was better than you ever were." Palpatine bared his teeth and clenched his fists, which were beginning to emit blue sparks. In response, Luke raised his lightsaber in preparation for the attack he knew was coming. "I wouldn't trust you if the entire galaxy was on the brink of destruction. No sane person would. So, no, I do not accept your offer."

Palpatine let out an angry yell as blue Force lightning arced from his fingertips in Luke's direction. But the experienced Jedi Master knew how to counter the attack. He held his lightsaber vertically in the lightning's path, absorbing it with his blade. A few seconds later, the lightning ceased and Palpatine snarled, "You're a fool, Skywalker. If you will not accept my help, then I will just have to replace you with someone who will."

Luke closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, opening himself up to the Force. He had nearly died on the second Death Star because he underestimated the powers of the Emperor; he was not about to make the same mistake twice. After he was thoroughly calm, he opened his eyes and spread his legs in a defensive stance. He was ready for the next bout of Force lightning.

But something happened then that he was not expecting. Palpatine grinned evilly and spread his arms, palms forward, as though goading his opponent to charge at him. But Luke was cautious enough not to fall for this trick, so he stood his ground. A couple seconds later, something flew from beneath the folds of Palpatine's robes into his right hand. And then a second object flew into his left hand. Based on the way light reflected off of the objects, Luke judged them to be small, gold cylinders. Suddenly, red energy blades sprang from the ends of the objects.

Luke had never even heard of Palpatine using a lightsaber, let alone two. He found himself at a sudden disadvantage. He did not know what his enemy's fighting style was, so he could not plan his defense. However, he banished those thoughts from his mind, allowing the Force to flow through him and guide his actions. Since he did not know what to expect, Luke waited for Palpatine to make the first move.

And what a move it was. Palpatine leapt into the air and lunged towards Luke, twirling around whilst holding his lightsabers over his head. Having no idea how to defend against such an attack, Luke jumped backwards, tumbling over the communications console behind him. An instant later, the console exploded in a shower of sparks as Palpatine's lightsabers sliced through the spot Luke had just vacated. He managed to stand up just in time to block another attack by the Emperor. The duel had begun.

Luke had predicted that his elderly opponent would move more slowly, adopting a conservative fighting style that favored precision over speed or strength. He could not have been more wrong. Palpatine attacked with surprising agility and ferocity, keeping Luke on the defensive. Also, whereas most duelists fought with the edges of their sabers, Palpatine attacked with the tips. This not only allowed him to keep out-of-reach of Luke's lightsaber, but also gave him more room to perform unexpected moves.

Unaccustomed to such a rare form, Luke found himself being driven back by the Emperor's quick-paced attacks. The only thing keeping him alive was the Force. Detached from his thoughts, feelings, and even his body, Luke could see his opponent's moves before they happened, and was able to counter them without even thinking. The combatants moved throughout the dark complex, their lightsabers illuminating the rooms red and green with blinding flashes of white. Neither one of them appeared to have the upper hand.

At one point, Palpatine brought both of his sabers down on Luke, who blocked them with his own saber. As they pushed against each other's blades, the Emperor laughed and goaded, "How can you expect to defeat me when Master Yoda himself failed to do so? I would have killed him, had he not fled like a coward!"

Luke clenched his teeth in suppressed anger at Palpatine's accusation. Still, he could not help but ask himself that same question. Even with the Force, Luke could not continue the duel forever. He had to end it before he wore himself out. Looking past the ugly face laughing at him, he saw a large window, beyond which was nothing but the Coruscant skyline. Summoning as much power as he could, Luke unleashed a Force blast that threw Palpatine through the window and clear beyond the temple walls.

But the Emperor had not been defeated yet. As he flew away from the window, he used the Force to grab Luke and pull him out with him. Luke reached desperately for a handhold, but to no avail, and he fell out the window. Thankfully, the slope of the temple ziggurat provided a surface for Luke to slide down, but it was still too steep to provide enough traction to slow him down. Even if he cushioned his fall with the Force, he would still suffer tremendous injuries. At least Palpatine, in a free fall, would suffer worse.

Unfortunately, one look upward proved Luke wrong. Palpatine was somehow using the Force to slow his descent to the point that he appeared to be floating like a feather. He was going to land safely, while Luke would most likely break his legs. That could not be allowed to happen. Luke needed to stop his fall so that he could finish off his enemy. He ignited his lightsaber and thrust it into the green marble wall. As the energy blade left a long, vertical burn, the wall offered enough resistance to slow Luke's fall. He then noticed a maintenance hatch below and to his left, which he figured was his best chance to get on solid, level ground. Twisting his lightsaber slightly changed the angle of his trajectory, bringing Luke to the hatch. After he used his foot to hit the button next to it, the hatch slid aside, allowing Luke to clamber into the shaft.

He let himself catch his breath before getting back on his feet. When he turned around, he saw that Palpatine had floated down so that he was almost level with the maintenance shaft. Suddenly, the Emperor reached out with the Force, grabbed the temple, and pulled hard. Because of the immense size difference, rather than pull the temple towards him, he pulled _himself_ towards _the temple_ at high speed. With Palpatine flying right at him, Luke was forced to react, almost without thinking, by attempting to Force-push his enemy away. But, in a shocking move, Palpatine ignited his lightsabers and swung downward just before the wave of Force energy reached him. This not only deflected the wave downward, but also propelled him into a forward somersault.

Realizing that his tactic had failed, Luke ignited his lightsaber and adopted a defensive stance to prevent Palpatine's sabers from slicing him in thirds. But Palpatine was now moving too fast, and, despite his best efforts to stand firm, Luke was knocked to the ground. Quickly, the Emperor reversed his grip on both lightsabers, used them to form an "X," and brought them down to slice through Luke's neck. Before that could happen, however, Luke held his own lightsaber vertically in front of him to block the point of intersection of the red blades. Gripping the hilt with both hands, Luke pushed against all three sabers with all his strength, while Palpatine cackled madly down at him.

Luke kicked out with both legs, catching Palpatine in the thighs. As the Emperor yelled in pain and staggered backwards, Luke scrambled to his feet and swung his lightsaber at his opponent's neck. But Palpatine recovered quickly from his injury and blocked Luke's attack. The duel then picked up from where it had left off in the communications center, with both combatants moving down the shaft as their lightsabers left burning cuts in the walls, ceiling and floor. A minute later, they emerged from the shaft onto a raised walkway in one of the Jedi Temple's mechanical rooms.

Dimly lit by generator power, the mechanical room was a maze of pipes and machinery designed to supply heat, water, electricity, and air to one section of the temple. It was hot, humid, noisy, and above all, dangerous. That being said, this room was restricted to temple workers only. Luke had never even set foot in one of these rooms before, and he was not looking forward to the prospect of a lightsaber duel in one. If anything is this room was damaged during the fight, it could have serious repercussions.

Just as Luke was finishing that thought, Palpatine Force-pushed him off the walkway. As he fell, Luke bounced off of one of the large pipes before tumbling across the floor. When he finally rolled to a stop, he was bruised and disoriented. He tried to push himself up, but he fell again as pain emanated from his left wrist. His collision with the pipe must have caused a sprain, preventing him from moving his left hand. At least Luke could still fight, but, with only one functioning hand, his ability to duel would be limited.

Palpatine must have known this, for he laughed triumphantly down at Luke from the walkway and said, "You are defeated. There is no escape. I am giving you one last chance to accept my offer."

Luke responding by igniting his lightsaber and throwing it at the supports holding up the walkway. The idea was, Palpatine would be too busy laughing to notice the attack, and would fall as the walkway collapsed. Instead, he jumped down to the floor before that could happen. Luke then used the Force to call his still-activated lightsaber back to him, hoping that the blade would pass through the Emperor, killing him. To his surprise, however, Palpatine reached back with one hand and caught Luke's lightsaber. The Jedi Master was now injured and unarmed before the most dangerous being in the galaxy.

"That was most unwise," Palpatine growled sinisterly. "And now, you will finally meet your destiny!" He held Luke's lightsaber out in front of him with one hand, whilst using the Force to pull the Jedi towards it with the other.

Faced with the prospect of being impaled on his own weapon, fear gripped Luke's heart. And not just fear of dying; fear of failure. He had failed to see Demood Elppirc's treachery, failed to stop the Sith from returning, failed to protect the people of Zygerria and the other Outer Rim worlds from being kidnapped or killed, failed to lead the Jedi Order like he had sworn to. But, most of all, he had failed to save his son. At that moment, Luke would have given anything just to apologize to Ben.

But, then, Luke felt the invisible grip on him disappear, and he stumbled to the floor. His lightsaber clattered next to him. When he looked up, he saw that Palpatine was now battling a new assailant – Ahsoka Tano. As their lightsabers locked against each other, the Emperor snarled, "I remember you. You were Lord Vader's apprentice."

Ahsoka shook her head. "No, I was _Anakin Skywalker's_ apprentice." She pulled back one of her lightsabers and swung at Palpatine's head, forcing him to duck. He tried to swipe at her legs, but she backflipped away from him.

Luke picked up his lightsaber, ignited it, and charged at Palpatine. His left wrist was still injured, so he was forced to switch to a one-handed fighting style. He was not as adept at this form, and his attacks were not as strong, but he benefitted from increased speed and range of movement. Besides, with Ahsoka fighting alongside him, the two Jedi were more than a match for the Sith Lord.

As they fought, Palpatine continued to goad Ahsoka. "Vader may not have meant anything to you, but you meant something to him. Otherwise, he would not have let you live on Christophsis."

Ahsoka replied, "But he did nothing to stop you from torturing me."

"I wanted to kill you, but Vader made a strong case in your favor. So, I decided to humor him. That was a mistake, one I can finally rectify."

Luke and Ahsoka attacked Palpatine from either side, forcing him to divide both his attention and his lightsabers. Every once in a while, he would dare to attack one Jedi with both sabers, but he could only get in one swing, sometimes two, before he had to defend against the other Jedi. For the first time, Luke felt that he had an advantage over Palpatine.

The Emperor must have known this, for his face was contorted into an angry expression. This was soon accompanied by a growl that started low and gradually became louder. Finally, he yelled in rage and unleashed a Force blast that threw Luke and Ahsoka away from him in opposite directions. The blast also destroyed his lightsabers, warped or dislodged some nearby machinery, and caused pipes to break, spraying water and heat all over the place. The two Jedi stood up and started to run towards Palpatine, but were forced to stop when he began firing Force lightning at them.

Luke held up his lightsaber to block the lightning, and Ahsoka did the same with one of hers. They waited for Palpatine to let up, but he made no indication of doing such. Luke knew from experience that the Emperor could keep up his lightning attack for minutes at a time. They needed to find a way to finally defeat him. Luke noticed Ahsoka taking a step towards Palapatine, which gave him an idea. Through the Force, Luke communicated his plan to Ahsoka, and she sent back a mental confirmation.

Both Jedi took one difficult step towards the Emperor, and then another, and then another. As they drew closer, they rotated their lightsabers from vertical to horizontal position. In vertical position, the energy blades absorbed lightning. In the horizontal position, however, they deflected it. Bolts of lightning began to arc outward in all directions, striking nearby pieces of machinery and causing sparks to fly everywhere. Some of the lightning also hit the water spraying from the pipes, causing it to glow with electricity. A few arcs hit Luke and Ahsoka, causing searing pain, but it was nothing compared to what Palpatine himself was being subjected to.

As sparks, electrified water droplets, and deflected lighting hit him, Palpatine started to scream as intense pain rippled through him. Red welts were forming on his already scarred and horribly deformed skin. He should have halted his attack, but he did not. He would relish every second of pain if it meant killing his enemies. Luke and Ahsoka fought through their own pain until they were each less than a meter from Palpatine. Once she was close enough, Ahsoka thrust her second lightsaber into his chest.

Palpatine screamed as Ahsoka's blade burned through his heart, and the lightning storm died down. Ahsoka removed her lightsaber and all three people fell to the floor. Two of them were merely exhausted and catching their breath, but one of them was not breathing at all. Both Jedi reached out with the Force and probed the Emperor's body for even the slightest sign of life.

There was none.

The only sign of movement was red smoke rising from the hole in his chest. Red, like the Sith Orb.

* * *

It was nearly dawn in the capital city, and as the bright lights started to go out, the air was filled with airspeeders and shuttles taking their occupants to begin their daily lives. One of those shuttles was ferrying Don Dain to the Jedi Temple, where a cleanup operation was underway. When he heard a preliminary report of the battle, the chancellor decided that he wanted to see for himself. The shuttle landed on the roof of the temple, where the Alliance had staged its attack. The boarding ramp lowered, allowing his personal guards to exit the shuttle, but Dain was not allowed to leave his seat until he was given the all-clear. After the guards were certain that there was no danger, Dain pushed himself up with his cane and descended the ramp.

His son, Mek, was waiting for him, his expression grave. "There's nothing to see here, Father. I have everything under control."

Don replied, "Perhaps, but I would still like to see. Where's Master Skywalker?"

"The medic station," Mek answered. "He suffered a minor injury during the battle. I will take you to him."

As his son led him through the staging area, Don looked around to take in the aftermath of the battle. Stormtroopers were reuniting with the rest of their squads, sharing stories of bravery, victory, horror, and loss. Jedi were relaying similar stories to each other. Temple workers were dragging the carcasses of black droids and tossing them in a pile. Don stopped next to the pile and took a long look at the droids. Even after being dismantled, they were still terrifying. Some of them still had long lightsaber hilts clasped in their metal hands. When Don had first heard about the lightsabers, he had hoped that there had been some mistake. Now that he knew it was true, he shuddered to think that there may be more droids loose in the galaxy, terrorizing innocent people.

Mek then led his father past rows of bodies of stormtroopers and Jedi. Some of the bodies had been sliced in two or three, while others were missing arms, legs, or even heads. The sight made Don nauseous, but the image in his head of civilians in place of those troopers nearly made him sick. He was the chancellor, the leader of the Galactic Alliance, and it came down to him to protect his people. Yet, these droids had somehow gotten through Coruscant's defenses on his watch.

Finally, the Dains arrived at the medic station, where medical droids and field medics were treating injuries. Many people had superficial lightsaber cuts or blaster burns, which were being treated with bacta patches. Others had sprains, breaks, or similar injuries that required casts, slings, or bandages. Some injuries were more serious, including deep cuts and burns, severed limbs, or multiple breaks, and the poor souls who suffered them were being loaded onto shuttles bound for the nearest hospital. Their pain did nothing to ease Don's own.

Luke Skywalker was sitting on a chair while a medic wrapped a bandage around his left wrist. When he was finished, Luke stood up and approached the Dains. He bowed his head and said, "Chancellor."

Don gestured to Luke's wrist and said, "I hope that's not too serious."

Luke shook his head. "It's just a minor sprain. It should be healed within a week. Don't worry; I've had worse."

They were all silent as they continued to survey the injured Jedi and stormtroopers. After a moment, Don turned to Mek and asked, "How did the droids' ships get through the planet's defenses?"

Mek did not answer immediately. After a brief hesitation, he finally said, "We are still looking into it."

Don glared at his son. "You're in charge of the defense of this city. Those droids somehow got through and killed these soldiers, and it's your job to prevent that from happening!"

"This isn't my fault!" Mek responded indignantly. "The military doesn't scan every ship that enters Coruscant; that's orbital control's job! When the ships did not provide identification, orbital control alerted me, and I responded."

Luke asked, "If the ships didn't have identification, why didn't you shoot them when they tried to enter the atmosphere?"

Mek swung around and pointed an accusing finger at the Jedi Master. "I don't answer to you, Skywalker! In fact, I should have you arrested for threatening the Chancellor last night!"

"You _do_ answer to _me_!" exclaimed Don, "And I would like to know why you didn't shoot down those ships!"

Mek stared at his father angrily for a second, and then answered, "They had a military clearance code, one that supersedes identification."

"And how did they get this code?"

Mek bristled. "Like I said, we are still looking into it."

Don frowned at his son and shook his head in disappointment. "I hope you figure it out soon. There may already be more droids here on Coruscant, and if one of them kills a civilian, you will be held..." He trailed off as something caught his eye. Four Jedi were exiting the temple, using the Force to levitate something large wrapped in blankets. Slowly, they moved the bundle and carefully set it down next to the droid carcasses. Don walked over to it, with Luke and Mek closely behind him.

As they stood around the bundle, Luke used the Force to pull away the folds of the blankets, revealing what had been so carefully confined within them. It was Emperor Palpatine, his horribly deformed face completely motionless. That did nothing to put anyone's mind at ease, however. Even though none of the Jedi could sense any signs of life within him, they preferred not to take any chances. The body was to be incinerated as soon as possible.

Looking at Palpatine's face caused Don's own face to pale. "This can't be," he whispered, afraid that his voice would awaken the Emperor. "It's impossible."

"It shouldn't be," Luke replied softly, "but the Sith Orb defies all natural law." Using the Force, he replaced the folds of the blankets, once more enshrouding the body. All three men visibly relaxed now that the body was hidden from sight.

Don's three eyes widened as a realization hit him. "It's true, isn't it? The Sith really have returned."

Mek stammered, "Uh, there's no proof of that, Father. We should open an investigation to be sure."

Luke frowned at him. "We don't need an investigation, nor do we have time for one. Who else could have made these droids? How do you explain _him_?" He gestured to the body on the ground. "Demood Elppirc has declared himself a Sith Lord, and he's using the orb to create an army, just like he used it to resurrect the Emperor."

"And what do you propose we do? You think we should attack them? If what you're saying is true, then where are they? What am I supposed to tell my superiors?"

Luke was about to respond when someone called his name. He turned to see Ahsoka running out of the temple, holding a disk-shaped object. She shuffled to a stop in front of the three men and began panting from exhaustion. Luke was surprised to see a wide smile stretching across her face. She nodded briefly to the Dains and held up the object she was holding. It was a portable holoprojector.

As her breathing slowed, she spoke to Luke. "We received a message during the battle. You really need to see it." She held out her hand, offering the projector to Luke. As he took it, her smile widened even further. Luke had never seen her so excited in the forty years he had known her, prompting him to wonder what in the universe was going on. He pressed the "answer" button and a small hologram popped up out of the device.

Luke's heart skipped a beat as his eyes processed the three-dimensional image before him. The hologram depicted a dirty man with long, tangled hair and an unkempt beard. He wore only pants that were fraying in places, and his bare chest and back were covered in scars. But beneath the beard was a face that Luke would recognize anywhere. And when the hologram spoke, the familiar voice erased all doubts about the man's identity.

"This is Ben Skywalker. I'm alive, but I'm a prisoner on a Sith base on Dromund Kaas. The Sith have kidnapped innocent people from the Outer Rim and are using them as slaves to build weapons. I've been trying to gather whatever information I can, but my cover's been blown, and the Sith are after me. If you get this message, please send help ASAP. Hundreds of innocent lives depend on it."

When the message ended, the hologram froze, allowing everyone to continue to stare at it. Ahsoka was still smiling at Luke, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and relief. Mek's Gran face was difficult to read, but his expression was most likely one of disbelief. Don appeared horrified, in reaction to the news about the innocent people being used as slaves.

Luke, on the other hand, was frozen in elation. Ben was alive. Luke's son, who had been presumed dead for two months, was alive. It was like a dream come true, a prayer answered, even a complete reversal of fortune. Ben was alive! Luke wanted to jump for joy and sing praises to the Force for finally returning a loved on to him. But it was not the time for that yet. Ben was still being hunted by the Sith, and Luke had no way of knowing if he had been captured or killed since the message had been recorded.

Luke turned to Mek and said, "Dromund Kaas. That's where the Sith are. That's where we need to attack, now!"

Mek stared helplessly at Luke. "This message could have been faked." The lack of resolve in his voice indicated that he believed otherwise. Even now, Mek was hoping beyond hope that he could delay the inevitable. "We could be walking into a trap. Besides, we don't have any fleets to spare."

"Have Admiral Mo'Ari's probation lifted." Both Luke and Mek were surprised to hear Don say this. "Reinstate his command immediately and have all of his ships and troops prepared for him. Make sure everyone sees this message; it should motivate them to work faster. It's a long way to Dromund Kaas, and I want the attack to begin as soon as possible."

Mek looked like he wanted to protest, but even he knew when to admit defeat. He bowed his head with a "Yes, sir," and left to carry out the chancellor's orders.

Luke turned to Don and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Chancellor. I may owe you my son's life."

A hint of a smile played across Don's face. "All I ask in return is that, from now on, we cooperate with each other. Divided, we'll destroy each other, leaving the galaxy to the Sith. United, we'll destroy the Sith, once and for all." He held out a hand, which Luke gratefully shook.

While Don's guards led him back to his shuttle, Luke and Ahsoka gazed at the sunrise. A new day had begun, and Luke was certain that things were about to change for the better. "Hang on, Ben," he whispered. "We're coming."

* * *

I had been planning _that_ confrontation for years, and I'm so excited to finally see it written down! Things are finally looking up for Luke Skywalker, but it's not over yet. If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	23. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Ben Skywalker did not even remember falling asleep. One minute, he was sitting on the floor in a janitorial closet, keeping his senses open to make sure no one stumbled across his hiding place. The next thing he knew, his eyes had snapped open and he suddenly found himself awake. He swore under his breath, wondering how long he had been out. There was only one way to find out. After reaching out with the Force to make sure no one was outside the door, Ben exited the closet and emerged into the hallway of the Sith command building.

Looking out the nearest window, he noticed that it was still nighttime. That did not tell him much; it was almost always dark here on Dromund Kaas. The storm that had caused the warehouse fire was winding down, as evidenced by the soft, intermittent thunder and steady rainfall. Based on his knowledge of the planet's storms, Ben surmised that no more than a few hours had passed since he had sent his message. But a lot could have happened in those few hours.

A survey of the base confirmed most of what Ben had already predicted. The slaves were still being forced to work, showing signs of exhaustion, thirst, and starvation. Sith guards swung their electrowhips all over the place, forcing the slaves onward. The warehouse that had housed the corpses was now a burnt husk, and the bodies had been reduced to ash. It had not been a proper cremation, Ben knew, but at least the Sith could not use them as fuel for the generators anymore.

Speaking of which, it appeared that the Sith were trying to conserve power. Most of the lights were off, and the large searchlights on the walls were dim. Most of the Sith were carrying lanterns, both battery-powered and flame-lit. They were everywhere, no doubt desperately searching for Ben. Squads of armored warriors were marching in what appeared to be standard patrol patterns, while Sith Knights lurked about, using the Force to scan for the Jedi's presence.

That is when it occurred to Ben that he had forgotten to suppress his Force aura. He did so quickly, hoping that none of the Sith had sensed him. But it was too late. A Sith Knight ran through an open door at the end of the hall and charged at him, holding a red lightsaber in his left hand. Ben still had his stolen Sith rifle, so he raised it and fired shot after shot at the advancing Sith, who merely batted the bolts aside with his lightsaber. Soon, the demonic figure was too close to shoot at, which left Ben with only two options: try to run away, or face his enemy head-on. The first option gave him the greatest chance of survival, but he was tired of running and hiding. That left him with the second option.

Ben did not have a lightsaber, but the ax-like energy blades protruding from the sides of his rifle's barrel could block the Sith's attacks. The rifle was heavier and more unwieldy than what Ben was used to, but it would have to do. With his right hand on the grip and his left beneath the barrel, Ben raised the rifle and positioned it so that the Sith's lightsaber blade bounced harmlessly off of the ax blade. The Sith then attacked from another angle, forcing Ben to reposition his weapon. After blocking several blows, Ben decided to strike back.

Removing his left hand from the barrel, he swung the rifle back and forth, letting its weight carry through. The Sith ducked and dodged the blows, smiling in amusement. Ben knew that he looked stupid, but, in his defense, there was no proper form for using a rifle in this manner. At the end of one of his leftward swings, Ben noticed the Sith raise his lightsaber and prepare to stab him in the chest. The boy reacted by sidestepping to the right so that the thrust pierced the space he had just vacated. Then, before the Sith could withdraw his arm for another attack, Ben swung his rifle so that one of the blades severed his opponent's wrist.

The Sith yelled in pain while his hand, still gripping his lightsaber, fell to the floor. Ben swung his rifle once more, this time through the Sith's neck. As the severed head bounced down the hall, Ben froze as a rush of dopamine came over him. It was the same excitement he had felt when he killed that Sith in the kitchen earlier that day. He knew it was wrong to feel happy at having taken a life, but these monsters warranted an exception. Besides, killing a Sith was quite an accomplishment, although Ben accredited it mostly to luck. His rifle was not nearly as efficient as a lightsaber, and harder to wield.

Fortunately, he now had a lightsaber at his disposal. He bent down, pried the weapon from the Sith's severed hand, and examined it. It was very different from the lightsaber Ben had used. The hilt was simple in design, covered in a matte black finish, and slightly larger and heavier than Ben's own had been. However, after transferring it from hand to hand, he judged that he could still wield it properly. He only hoped that he still remembered how to fight with it.

It sounded like he was about to find out. From beyond the window, he heard someone screaming. It was difficult to pinpoint from up in the command center, but Ben soon found the source of the screaming – Nysilla Zabeth. He was horrified to see that she was being dragged, kicking and screaming, by two Sith guards. Where were they taking her? Ben looked in the direction they were headed and saw the generators. Another pair of Sith guards had lit a fire in the furnace and were busy stoking it. It was not difficult for Ben to realize what was happening; they were going to execute Nysilla!

Ben knew he had to save her. It was his duty not only as a Jedi, but as someone who cared about her. Besides, it was his fault she was in danger. He had painted a target on her back when he saved her from that guard in the kitchen. But that thought gave rise to another; the Sith were using her as bait to draw Ben out into the open. If he tried to save her, then his cover would be blown, and every Sith on the base would swarm in to kill him. And, even if Ben did save her, he doubted he would get any gratitude from her. She probably still hated him for lying to her.

These thoughts rolled around in Ben's head, leaving him conflicted. Meanwhile, Nysilla was being dragged closer and closer to her doom. Finally, Ben decided that there were already too many innocent deaths weighing down on his conscience. After taking a deep breath and summoning all of his courage, he jumped out the window and landed right behind the guards. Reinforcing his voice with the power of the Force, he roared, "LET HER GO!"

The effect was almost instantaneous. All of the searchlights on the base became fixed on Ben, illuminating him like a single bright star in a night sky. The two guards dragging Nysilla had barely turned around to face him when he ignited his stolen lightsaber and relieved them of their heads. As they fell, they released their prisoner, who looked at Ben with a mixture of fear and confusion. He extended a hand, offering to help her up, but she refused it, getting to her feet on her own.

"Kill the Jedi!"

Ben turned towards the source of the voice and saw a squad of Sith warriors running out from behind the command building. As they fired their rifles at him, Ben raised his lightsaber and batted away the blaster bolts. He took Nysilla's hand and pulled her towards the nearest slave hut. But she wrenched away from him, exclaiming, "Don't touch me!"

Ben sighed in exasperation. He had just saved her life, yet she still hated him. How could she be so ungrateful? But he did not have time to dwell on it. "Fine. Get to that hut and stay there."

Nysilla did not respond. Instead, she ran straight to the hut, leaving Ben to deal with the Sith.

He charged forward, deflecting their shots back at them. Their armor was tough enough to withstand one blaster bolt, maybe two, but a couple of them eventually fell. As Ben drew closer, the remaining warriors activated the energy blades on their rifles. One by one, they swung their ax-rifles at the young man in an attempt to overwhelm him. Ben dodged and weaved between them, using his lightsaber to block their attacks and retaliate with some of his own. Once or twice, he landed superficial blows to a warrior, but the Sith were built to withstand pain. He did manage to sever a leg on one warrior, causing him to fall to the ground where Ben quickly dispatched him.

There was only one warrior left now, swinging his ax-rifle angrily at the Jedi. Ben ducked to avoid a swing to his neck, holding his lightsaber vertically in front of him. By accident, the barrel of the rifle passed through the lightsaber blade just behind the ax emitters. The two blades deactivated as the barrel flew off to the side. The Sith gaped at his now useless weapon, giving Ben jest enough time to bisect the warrior at the waist. With all of his attackers dead, Ben paused to catch his breath.

These Sith were more skilled than he had initially thought. He had expended much of his strength trying to defeat only four of them. How could he expect to fight every Sith on Dromund Kaas? Ben needed to come up with a new strategy, quickly. His best option, for the moment, was to hide while he regained his strength and thought of a way to fight the Sith. He also had to protect Nysilla, who was, hopefully, still hiding in the slave hut. That was probably the best place for Ben to be.

He began to run towards the shack, but stopped short when he found several Sith warriors blocking his path. Quickly, he turned around and headed in the other direction, only to run into even more Sith. Glances to either side revealed that Ben was completely surrounded by dozens of Sith warriors, along with several Sith Knights. All of their weapons were trained on the Jedi. Ben's heart sank as he realized that he could not escape, nor could he fight them all. He had fallen into a trap that would almost certainly kill him.

Part of him wanted to sit down and let the Sith kill him. He was tired of running, and even more tired of fighting. But he could not give up. If he did, then all of the slaves would die meaningless deaths. Ben had to fight for them, to give them even a glimmer of hope. And if he died, at least he would go down fighting. With determination set into his face, Ben ignited his lightsaber and held the red blade aloft. The Sith cocked their rifles, preparing to open fire.

"WAIT!" Everyone froze upon hearing the female voice. Darth Volatis pushed her way through the ring of Sith and directed a poisonous glare at Ben. She drew her own lightsaber and snarled, "He's _mine_!" The Sith looked at each other doubtfully, unsure what to do. Slowly, they lowered their weapons and watched as Volatis strode purposefully towards Ben. "You made me look like a fool in front of my master."

Ben spat back, "I didn't do anything! I was here for months, and you never noticed! You only _looked_ like a fool because you really _are_ a fool!

This made Volatis even angrier. With a yell of rage, she charged at Ben and brought her lightsaber down on his head. But he used his own lightsaber to block the attack and push her saber out of the way. He brought his weapon up to swing at her neck, only to be blocked by her. She proceeded to rain down blow after blow, letting her emotions drive her attacks. Fortunately, Ben was able to foresee her every move and defend himself accordingly. In her anger, Volatis accidentally swung too far to the right, causing her to misstep. While she regained her balance, Ben started his own series of attacks, which were easily blocked by the Sith Lady.

As their lightsabers locked, Volatis kicked Ben in the gut, causing him to double over. When he noticed her lightsaber being swung in his direction, he threw himself to the ground. Before he could get back up, he was suddenly sliding head-first through the mud at high speed, propelled by a Force-push. After he felt himself slow to a stop, he lifted his head to gasp for air and spit mud out of his mouth. He could hear the Sith laughing at his predicament. Ben stood up and used his forearm to wipe the mud from his eyes. Then he wiped his hands on his pants to make sure that his lightsaber would not slip from his hands while he was fighting.

Volatis was about to move in for another attack when her wrist comm beeped. She decided to ignore it and continue the duel. But the comm continued to beep. About ten seconds later, she grew tired of the beeping and hit the answer button. Holding her left wrist in front of her face whilst wielding her lightsaber in her right hand, she snapped, "What is it? I'm busy."

Vonar Dykes' voice spoke through the comlink. "Lady Volatis, an Alliance fleet has just dropped out of hyperspace!"

Ben's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. If the Alliance had come to Dromund Kaas, did that mean they got his message? Had he actually succeeded?

Volatis continued to fight Ben as she replied, "Well, turn them away, like you did last time!"

Dykes responded, "They're not answering our hails, and they just launched dropships and fighters. They're headed right for us!"

"Then shoot them down! Activate the lightning cannons!"

"We're trying, but there's not enough power. We're defenseless!"

Volatis' mouth hung open in shock, and she glared angrily at Ben. "You little imp! You did this!" She renewed her attacks, striking at him with unparalleled ferocity. The young Jedi was even more hard-pressed to defend himself against her rage-driven onslaught.

Through the comlink, Dykes continued, "We should call our other bases for help. Lord Hatus–"

"NO!" snapped Volatis. "No one tells Hatus anything! I promised him we would handle it ourselves, so that's exactly what we're going to do! Get our fighters in the air, and bring down those ships!"

Dykes was silent for a moment before finally answering, "Yes, my lady."

After turning of her wrist comm, Volatis yelled to the surrounding Sith, "Get to your battle stations!" Immediately in response, the Sith scattered, leaving the two duelists alone. Volatis said to Ben, "You're going to pay for what you've done!"

Ben replied, "I was about to say the same thing to you!" With a yell, he charged at her, more determined than ever to destroy her.

* * *

With the newly-reinstated Admiral Mo'Ari leading them, a fleet of Star Destroyers had dropped out of hyperspace over Dromund Kaas. To Luke Skywalker, it looked exactly the same as it had the last time they came. But, this time, there was a major difference; Ben was on that planet, along with hundreds of innocent people being enslaved by the Sith. That is why Mo'Ari had given the launch order as soon as they had arrived. Time was of the essence.

Luke knew he should be back at the Jedi Temple, recovering from his injuries sustained during the battle with Emperor Palpatine. But his son was on Dromund Kaas, and he could not wait any longer than necessary to see him again. So Luke had left Ahsoka Tano to oversee the cleanup of the temple after the battle with the Sith droids. Now, he was on the _Millennium Falcon_ with Han and Leia Organa Solo, on their way to the "refugee colony" that had turned out to be anything but.

Everyone had seen Ben's message, including Jaina Solo, who was once again in the cockpit of an Alliance X-Wing. Losing Ben during their first visit to Dromund Kaas had nearly destroyed her. Now that she knew he was alive, she was eager to get him back. She still could not believe that he had survived there for two months. Any other Jedi would either have been discovered, blown his own cover, or else given up entirely. But not Ben. He had always been strong and determined, so much so that Jaina should have known he had survived that crash.

She flew with a squadron of fighters, leading the dropships to the Sith base. Due to the storm clouds, they had to enter the planet's atmosphere several kilometers away from their target. However, from such a high altitude, the base was visible to the naked eye. At first glance, it looked no different than it had two months ago. But Jaina knew all too well that looks were deceiving. She had to be on high alert.

Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the trees next to the base. A flock of large birds burst through the jungle canopy and began flying towards the Alliance ships. They were _very_ large birds – _too_ large, in fact. Jaina had a bad feeling about this. Into her comm, she said, "All ships, watch out for those big birds. I don't like the looks of them."

The _Falcon_ flew past Jaina, most likely to get a better look. A moment later, Han Solo's voice announced, "Those aren't big birds, sweetheart. Their starfighters!"

As the "birds" drew closer, Jaina saw that her father was correct. They were indeed starfighters designed to look like giant birds of prey. Each fighter was painted black with dark red trim, and had a forward cockpit that tapered to a point, like a beak. The wings were hinged in the middle, allowing them to fold down and under themselves, and could also pivot back for extra speed. Where the eyes would have been were a pair of repeating blasters.

"All wings, attack formation!" In response to her order, the X-Wings under Jaina's command maneuvered so that they were side-by-side with her. The other squadron leaders issued similar orders. The X-Wings, Y-Wings, and TIE Fighters were soon all aligned in a vertical plane, ready to fire their weapons at their enemies as soon as they were within firing range. Jaina stared at her scanners, her thumb hovering over the firing trigger. Just a little closer. Closer….

The moment the Sith fighters were close enough, Jaina pressed the trigger. The laser cannons at the tips of her wings responded immediately, spewing blaster bolts at the fighter directly in front of her. But the pilot saw her attack coming, and swerved out of the way. The fighter then began shooting at her, forcing Jaina to take evasive action. Soon, every fighter on both sides was firing its weapons. The Battle of Dromund Kaas had begun!

* * *

Off in the distance, Ben watched as the battle raged in the sky. It was too dark to make out the ships themselves, but he could see the floodlights, lasers, and explosions, like a deadly fireworks display. It was a captivating sight, but Ben would not be able to see it. He needed to focus all of his attention on the duel at hand. Knowing that the Alliance had come reinvigorated him, granting him newfound strength and confidence. More than that, he was eager to destroy this woman, who had been responsible for all of the horrors Ben had witnessed over the past two months.

He did not want to look at Volatis. After all, she was a clone of Mara Jade Skywalker, his own mother, who had been betrayed and murdered by Darth Caedus, his own cousin and mentor. Jacen Solo, whom Ben had loved and trusted with his life, and who had returned that love and trust by coercing him into his dark crusade. Jacen, who had tricked Ben into turning against his parents and the Jedi Order, and had forced him to kill people. When Ben had finally figured out what his cousin had been doing, he had gone to his mother. Mara had tried to help Ben by confronting Jacen, except she had failed. She was dead because Ben could not solve his own problems!

These thoughts made him angrier, and he launched into a flurry of attacks. Every swing of his lightsaber was accompanied by a yell of rage, and Volatis was surprisingly hard-pressed to keep up with his aggression. The fierce anger in her eyes had gradually turned to determination, then worry, and then fear. Good. She _should_ be afraid. This was her comeuppance, and it was being administered by one of her victims. Ben would make sure she suffered just as much as he had, before he killed her.

Finally, he landed a glancing blow to the side of her waist, causing her to yell and clutch the burning wound with her left hand. Distracted briefly, she only just brought up her saber in time to protect herself from Ben's next attack. But his swing was so strong, that it knocked her down. He then proceeded to rain blow after blow down on her, and Volatis was forced to defend herself by holding her lightsaber horizontally over her body. But she was holding her weapon in only her right hand, and she was not strong enough to withstand Ben's attacks. The boy continued hacking with his lightsaber until he had worn her down, after which he severed her right hand.

Volatis screamed in pain and squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for the inevitable killing blow. But nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, she saw Ben standing over her, his lightsaber casting a red glow on his face. He glared angrily down at her, teeth bared, his chest rising and falling, but, other than that, he did not move a muscle.

Putting on a defiant face, Volatis sneered, "Stupid boy. If you let me live, I will come after you. If you kill me, Lord Hatus will just use the Sith Orb to bring me back, and _then_ I will come after you. Either way, you're going to die, Ben Skywalker!"

For a moment, Ben did nothing. Then, he deactivated his lightsaber and said, "You're right. Killing you now won't do any good." To Volatis' surprise, the boy then used the Force to summon the electrowhip hanging from her belt into his hand. He continued, "But torturing you to death will make you understand the pain you've caused." He pressed the button on the whip's handle, releasing the glowing yellow cord.

Before Volatis could even react, Ben swung the whip down at her. He waited a few seconds while he relished the woman's pain, and then he swung again. And again. And again. Each swing was followed by a shorter delay than the last, until Ben was swinging his arm up and down as fast as his muscles would allow. All the while, Volatis was screaming in sheer agony as electricity coursed through her body. But Ben never let up, not after she began to convulse, nor after her screams died out, nor even after she had gone completely motionless. Only after the last sign of life within her had disappeared, did he finally stop.

Ben stared at the dead woman lying at his feet. It was only then that he realized what he had done. He had tortured someone to death. Whether or not she deserved it was irrelevant; Jedi did not torture. Jedi only killed out of necessity, when another person's life was in immediate danger. Ben had just broken that rule. He had killed out of a desire for revenge. Out of fear, anger, and hatred. He had killed using the dark side of the Force, like a Sith. He was no better than the very beings he had been fighting.

As this realization hit him, Ben started to hyperventilate. Both the lightsaber and the electrowhip he had taken slipped out of his hands and landed in the mud. He staggered backwards away from the body, continuing to stare at it until his vision became too blurry. When he finally felt a wall against his back, he slid down into a sitting position. He had not even realized how sore his legs were until the weight on them had disappeared. He could not remember the last time he had felt such relief.

Even as he became light-headed, Ben was aware of white shapes moving into his field of vision. Black shapes moved towards the white ones, and red light flashed everywhere. They made sounds that were too muffled for Ben to make out. One by one, the shapes began to fall, but more shapes kept coming. Some of these shapes had red, blue, green, or sometimes purple beams of light coming out of them. As Ben calmed down, his vision became refocused, and he could make out the shapes better. They were people. The white shapes were stormtroopers, the black shapes were Sith, and the others were Jedi. His hearing also recovered, and the familiar sounds of people shouting, blasters firing, and lightsabers humming filled the air.

Ben realized that the Alliance forces had entered the Sith base. Everywhere he looked, there was fighting. Stormtroopers and Sith warriors were exchanging blasterfire, Jedi and Sith Knights were engaged in lightsaber duels, and Alliance starfighters were dancing through the air, shooting down the Sith fighters. The immense gates that had prevented slaves from escaping had been blown up, allowing more and more Jedi and stormtroopers to stream into the base. The Sith forces were soon being overwhelmed.

Ben's view of the battle was obscured by someone kneeling down in front of him. It took a couple of seconds for his eyes to focus on the person's face. When they finally did, they widened in surprise. The man in front of him was his father, Luke Skywalker. He appeared just as stunned as Ben was. The two men stared at each other for a moment, neither one entirely certain that they were not in a dream. Slowly, Luke reached out with his left hand and gently touched his son's face. Suddenly convinced that the young man before him truly was his son, Luke pulled Ben towards him and wrapped his arms around him.

Ben was shocked to hear his father cry. He did not think that was even possible. Luke had always been so in control of his emotions, yet, here he was, crying openly. Ben returned the hug and let his own tears flow freely. All of the pain he had felt for the past two months melted away, replaced by sheer joy. He was back with his family again.

"I'm so sorry, Ben," Luke whispered between sobs. "I should have come for you sooner. I shouldn't have left you here in the first place."

"No," replied Ben, "I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have waited so long to call for help. People were dying, and I didn't even try to save them. I _watched_ the Sith kill them, and I let it happen." His tears of joy turned into tears of sadness as he added, "I killed Volatis. I tortured her to death because I hated her. I hate them all! I failed you, I failed the Jedi, I failed everyone!" He started to hyperventilate again, sobbing loudly with every breath.

He expected his dad to scold him, to call him a failure, to expel him from the Jedi Order then and there. Instead, Luke held him closer and shushed him. "It's okay, Ben. I understand. You don't have to apologize for anything. You saved everyone here. Look!"

Ben looked over Luke's shoulder and saw the other Jedi and stormtroopers leading slaves out of the buildings. The people looked scared and confused, unsure if they could trust these newcomers. They had been imprisoned for so long, they could not imagine any other life. Slowly but surely, the liberated slaves began to walk through the broken gates of their prison. Men and women, old and young, human and alien, all were now free.

Luke continued, "They're free, Ben, all because of you. You're a hero, and I'm so proud of you."

Hearing his father's praise put Ben's mind at ease. He relaxed and laid his head on Luke's shoulder. "I love you, Dad."

As Ben drifted off to sleep, the last thing he heard was his father saying, "I love you, too, son."

* * *

Finally, Luke and Ben have been reunited! In this story, they've been apart for only two months, but the last chapter in which they appeared together was written early last year! That being said, it feels like it's been much longer! If you have comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	24. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

When Ben Skywalker awoke, he had expected to be back in the leaky wooden hut he had lived in on Dromund Kaas. That is why he was surprised to wake up in the sleeping quarters aboard the _Millennium Falcon_. He never imagined that he would be so glad to see the inside of the old freighter, or to wake up on one of the worn-down cots. He could not remember his back ever feeling so good; or his neck, thanks to the first pillow he had seen in months.

Ben sat up, stretched, and scratched his beard. That is when he realized that he still had over two months of hair and beard growth, and his skin and pants were caked with dried mud. Then, he remembered that the _Falcon_ had a shower adjacent to the crew quarters. Filled with sudden longing for hot water and soap, Ben went directly to the shower. He was surprised to find that several personal hygiene items and a fresh set of clothes had been laid out for him.

The first thing Ben did was use the provided razor to completely shave his beard. Then, he set the adjustable blade guard to three centimeters and cut his hair. When he looked in the mirror and saw his clean-shaven face, he remarked silently that he looked exactly as he had before, like he had not changed at all. That, of course, was not true. He then tossed both the hair and his ruined clothes into the waste receptacle and stepped into the shower. After several moments of relishing the feel of the hot water spraying down on him, Ben scrubbed every square millimeter of his body until he was satisfied that he could not get any cleaner.

Once he was finished with his shower, Ben dried himself off and got dressed. When he unfolded the new outfit, he realized that it was a beige Jedi uniform. With his brutal murder of Darth Volatis still on his mind, Ben wistfully thought to himself that he did not deserve to wear this outfit. But, it was all he had, so he put it on anyway. Now that he was fully presentable, he walked towards the main hold, where he could hear arguing.

"I told you, you can't keep that!" It sounded like Leia Organa Solo.

"Why not? It could be useful!" That voice definitely belonged to Han Solo.

"Because it's dangerous! Besides, you already have a blaster."

"Well, it's not going to do me much good if I bump into another Sith. This thing saved my life, so I'm keeping it! Luke, you agree with me, don't you?"

For a moment, Ben could not hear anything. Then, the voice of Luke Skywalker asked, "Do you even know how to use it?"

"Of course I do!" exclaimed Han. "You didn't see me with it earlier. There I was, minding my own business, when one of those Sith punched me. By the way, you should have seen the size of this guy. As I fell down, I _accidentally_ let go of my blaster. So, the Sith was closing in on me, about to kill me, when I grabbed the closest thing I could reach. I turned it on, swung it, and the thing just wrapped itself around his neck, choking him to death. And that's when I knew; I was meant to have this!"

When Ben entered the main hold, his eyes were immediately drawn to the object in Han's hand. It was the hilt of an electrowhip, just like the ones the Sith used on the slaves – and the one Ben used to kill Volatis. Han must have noticed the horror in Ben's eyes, for he quickly stuffed the weapon into a tangle of exposed cables behind a missing wall panel. He then spread his arms, smiled excitedly, and yelled, "Ben! So good to see you!"

Everyone else in the room was suddenly aware of Ben's presence, and they immediately matched Han's emotions. Before Ben could fully process everyone in the room, he was being bombarded with hugs, joyful exclamations, and questions he could not answer. All thoughts of the electrowhip faded from his mind, and he returned everyone's hugs gratefully. Each person had a different reaction to seeing him.

Jaina Solo apologized for not looking for him after his fighter crashed. Before Ben could explain that he did not blame her, she threw her arms around him, so he just ran with it. Having already said what he wanted to, Luke was silent, but still embraced his son. Han clapped him on the back and told him how great he did. Given how rare genuine praise from Han was, Ben accepted it with pride. Leia squeezed Ben tight and refused to let go, crying all the while. He did not resist her, knowing that this was the closest she would ever come to getting her own sons back.

R2-D2 and C-3PO were also present. The astromech droid was warbling excitedly, and the golden protocol droid had already launched into a string of chatter. "Master Ben! Thank the Maker you're all right! Oh, if I had been a part of that first attack, I would have made certain that they stayed to look for you!" R2-D2 responded to this statement with a series of beeps. Indignantly, C-3PO turned to his counterpart and exclaimed, "I did not say he was dead! I merely pointed out that the odds of surviving that crash were only 4,095 to one. Stop twisting my words around!" More beeping. "Well, considering how often we have defied the odds before, I thought those chances were more than acceptable!"

Ben did not hear the rest of the droids' bickering. He had become aware of a smaller person hugging him. When he looked down to see who it was, he froze. It was the little girl whose body he had been force to burn on Dromund Kaas. It was like seeing a ghost, and his face must have shown it. The girl frowned at him and asked, "What's wrong, Ben?"

Several seconds passed before Ben finally realized that this was not the girl from the slave camp; it was his cousin, Allana Solo, alive and well. Overcome with joy, Ben kneeled down and pulled the girl into a tight hug. He answered, "Nothing's wrong. I'm just so happy to see you. I missed you so much."

Satisfied with his answer, Allana returned the hug and responded, "I missed you, too. So did everyone on Coruscant; you'll see! They'll all be there when we get back home!"

* * *

During the trip back to Coruscant, everyone filled Ben in on everything that had happened while he was gone. They explained how the first attempted attack on Dromund Kaas had gotten the Jedi in trouble with Don Dain. They also told him about the incident on Zygerria and its aftermath. Finally, they recounted the attack on the Jedi Temple, with Luke detailing his encounter with the resurrected Emperor Palpatine. Upon hearing this, Ben remembered Volatis' last words about Darth Hatus using the Sith Orb to bring her back. At the time, he had just assumed that she was trying to trick him into letting her live. Now, he realized that she was telling the truth.

Ben listened to everyone's stories, but he did not tell any of his own. The horrors of his imprisonment were still fresh in his mind, and he was not ready to talk about them. Besides, Allana was too young for such things. His family must have agreed, for they never asked him about anything.

Then, they discussed the Battle of Dromund Kaas. While Ben was fighting Volatis, the Alliance fighter squadrons had managed to rout the Sith starfighters, creating an opening for them to land the dropships. After a long and difficult battle, the Jedi and stormtroopers had finally defeated all of the Sith Knights and warriors. Some of the Sith, including General Vonar Dykes, had been captured, and were on their way to a high-security Alliance prison for interrogation. The rest had been killed.

After the battle had been won, the Alliance forces had gone straight to work rounding up all of the slaves in the base. It had not been easy to convince them that they had been freed. Once the first slaves had mustered the courage to come forward, the rest eventually followed. In total, over 1,100 people had been rescued. Eleven hundred men, women, and children, all alive because of Ben. Luke was adamant on this point. Each and every one of them had been inspected by the combined medical teams for all of the Star Destroyers in the fleet. Half of them had turned out to be in relatively good health, and had been loaded onto one cruiser where they were given food, clothing, medicine, showers, and beds. Another cruiser, carrying the other half, had been sent to the nearest hospital.

When the fleet dropped out of hyperspace, Han piloted the _Falcon_ down into Coruscant's atmosphere. Through the forward viewport, Ben marveled at the gleaming cityscape. After two months of dark, dirty, rainy Dromund Kaas, the capital planet of the Galactic Alliance was more than a welcome sight. Within moments, the ship arrived at a large, flat stretch reserved for the docking of large capital ships. But it was not empty. Over fifty shuttles were parked there, with hundreds of people standing near them. As the _Falcon_ drew closer, Ben could see that many of them were Jedi.

In a matter-of-fact voice, Allana said, "I _told_ you everyone was here!"

The ship landed, and the boarding ramp lowered, allowing everyone to exit the ship. Ben was the last one off. As soon as he stepped into the sunlight, he was met with applause. It took him a moment to realize that everyone was clapping for him. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he was able to discern each and every person present. Most of the Jedi Council was there, including Ahsoka Tano, along with dozens of other Jedi Ben had known and worked with. Chancellor Don Dain was also present. There were even more people whom Ben did not recognize – senators and military officers, by the looks of them – all of whom took turns gratefully shaking his hand.

To Ben's surprise, Dain was actually smiling as he approached him. The aged Gran firmly grasped his hand and said, "You have done the galaxy a great service, young man. You have earned my extreme gratitude."

Bashfully, Ben smiled back and replied, "Thank you, Your Excellency."

Once the crowd of politicians had finished with him, Ben moved to the throng of Jedi. Some of the more formal Jedi bowed to him, but most of them greeted him with hugs and pats on the back.

Tahiri Veila was hesitant, doubtful that this man really was Ben. The boy had been presumed dead for two months, and now this man was claiming his identity. But, after studying him for a moment, she concluded that this was no trick. Somehow, Ben Skywalker really had come back from the dead. She showed her gratitude with a hug, like everyone else did, but it felt awkward. To Tahiri, all hugs were awkward, but this one was even more so. It felt as though she were hugging Anakin Solo, her long-lost love. Could it be…?

No. She reminded herself that Anakin was dead and gone. No matter how hard she wished for it, he would never come back. But Ben had returned, and that was good enough.

For several moments, Ben listened as his fellow Jedi gave him their own accounts of the incident on Zygerria and the battle with Sith droids. He only half-listened to them, as his mind was still trying to process everything that was happening around him. He was back on Coruscant, surrounded by friends and family, safe and sound. Yet, something did not feel right. Perhaps it was everything that had happened while he was gone, and how it had changed things. Or, maybe he was too accustomed to life on Dromund Kaas, and now he had to acclimate to his new home.

Just then, the sky darkened. Everyone and everything around Ben was cast in shadow. He heard a low rumbling, like thunder, which made him instinctively think of the storms on Dromund Kaas. A thought popped into his mind; what if he was still in the slave camp? That gave rise to more thoughts. What if his rescue had all been a dream? What if he was about to wake up and be forced to toss more bodies in the incinerator? What if he was trapped in a gruesome, eternal, hellish nightmare? These terrifying thoughts consumed him, clouding his other senses and making him dizzy.

"Ben? Ben, are you okay?"

Ben snapped back to reality as he heard that voice. Ahsoka was looking at him with a concerned expression on her face. He soon realized that everyone in the immediate vicinity was doing the same. He began, "The storm, it…" but he trailed off when he looked up and saw that there was no storm. It had merely been a Star Destroyer descending towards the landing field. The darkness was caused by the massive ship flying overhead in front of the sun. The "thunder" was actually the roar of the engines as it entered Coruscant's atmosphere. To the other Jedi, Ben said, "It's nothing. I'm fine."

Unconvinced, everyone continued to look at him for a few seconds before turning their attention to the descending Star Destroyer. Slowly, the battlecruiser maneuvered itself into one of the nearby docking trenches, where hundreds of clamps held it in place. Boarding ramps extended from the trench walls to the ship's external hatches. The entire process took several minutes, during which time everyone assembled waited patiently. Finally, the hatches opened, allowing the Star Destroyer's occupants to come outside.

One by one, the people who were rescued from Dromund Kaas stepped into the sunlight for the first time in months. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, they gazed in amazement at the gleaming cityscape around them. Most of them had never left their home planets before the Sith took them, so Coruscant must have seemed to them like something out of their wildest dreams. After they had finished taking in the scenery, the refugees crossed the boarding ramps.

Many of them wore the same clothes they had left Dromund Kaas with, albeit cleaner, thanks to the Star Destroyer's laundry facilities. Others, whose clothes had been in terrible shape, now wore white jumpsuits emblazoned with the Galactic Alliance insignia. There was not much selection to be found aboard a military vessel, but proper clothes would be provided to them later. The people were just as clean as the clothes they now wore, and their hair, beards, fur, etc. had been trimmed and groomed. It took up to a minute for Ben to recognize some of them.

As the refugees moved towards them, the senators present spread out and began calling out the names of the planets they represented, beckoning with their arms. As they did so, people started to separate and gather around the senators, who would no doubt arrange for them to be returned to their homes. But first, the senators would try to interview everyone who was rescued, hoping to learn more about the Sith. They would be disappointed when practically no one felt like talking about their trauma.

Ben scanned the lines of refugees as they passed, keeping his eyes peeled for Nysilla Zabeth. He had neither seen nor heard of her since he sent her to hide in one of the slave huts before his battle with Volatis. Anything could have happened to her after that. She could have run into a Sith on her way to the hut, or a Sith could have found her inside the hut. If she chose not to listen to Ben (which sounded likely), she could have left the hut and run into a Sith. Or, she could have been hit by stray blasterfire during the battle. What if the Alliance forces missed her when they were rounding up the slaves, and had unknowingly left without her? Maybe Nysilla was still trapped on Dromund Kaas, all alone!

And then he saw her. Even with the mud and dirt washed from her olive skin, even with her golden-brown hair straightened, even with her tattered green nightgown replaced by a white jumpsuit, Ben recognized Nysilla in an instant. It was because of her eyes. Those beautiful green eyes had been etched into his memory ever since he first gazed into them, that night when they first kissed. Now that he saw her in the sunlight, she appeared even more beautiful than before.

Ben smiled and called out to her. "Nysilla!"

In response to hearing her name, the girl looked for the source of the voice. When her eyes fell on Ben, she froze. She probably did not recognize him immediately without his beard, or in a Jedi outfit. She looked at him for a few seconds, and then she turned and disappeared into the crowd.

He could not believe it. Even after he had gotten her rescued, she _still_ would not talk to him? Was she really that angry with him? Ben considered just letting her go, but he could not. He needed to make her listen to what he had to say. He pushed his way through the crowd and continued to call her name. When he finally caught up with her, he exclaimed, "Will you just listen to me? _Please_?"

Nysilla stopped walking, sighed, and turned around to face Ben. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and adopted a stoic expression. "Fine. I guess I owe you that much."

Ben explained, "Look, I get that you're mad. Okay? I wanted to tell you the truth, but I was afraid. And not just for me, but for you. If the Sith found out who I was, I knew that they would use you to get to me. Believe me, I hated lying to you, and it killed me to watch those people die. Maybe I did the wrong thing, but it was for the right reasons. So, you don't have to forgive me, but you could at least show me some respect! After all, everyone here is alive because _I_ called the Jedi for help! I risked my life to save you from those Sith! Would it kill you to just say, 'thank you?'"

Nysilla waited for Ben to finish before she responded, "I know, Ben. I really am grateful. And I know that none of what happened was your fault. But that doesn't change the fact that you lied to me."

"I lied to protect you!"

"I didn't need you to protect me! All I needed was for you to be my friend! If you had just told me the truth from the beginning, I would have understood!"

Ben was confused. "Well, I'm being honest now. Can't we move past everything and start over?"

Nysilla stared at him helplessly. Tears brimmed in her eyes. "You don't get it, do you? When I first met you, I was miserable. I had been taken from my home, my friends had been shipped out to who-knows-where, and my parents had been killed. And the way the Sith looked at me, terrified me. Everyone was afraid of being killed, but I was afraid of something much worse." She paused as she started to cry.

When she regained her composure, she continued, "But the moment I met you, I knew you were different. I don't know how, but I just knew that you would be a good friend. You were there for me when no one else was. And that night, when you were at your most vulnerable, I let myself be vulnerable, too. When we were together, I suddenly wasn't afraid anymore. Not of the Sith, or anything else. For the first time in _months_ , I was happy!

"Now, imagine how I felt when I learned that you, the one person I let myself be close to, the one person I was completely honest with, the _one person_ who made me even _remotely_ happy, had been lying to me! You lied about who you were, where you came from, what you could do; you even lied about your name! I had suddenly lost everything, all over again, except, this time, I lost it to _betrayal_! Can you imagine what that feels like?"

Ben was stunned speechless. He had no idea that Nysilla felt that way. He never even thought about how she must have felt. And the way she described it made him want to cry, too. To answer her question, he shook his head.

Nysilla shook her head as well. "Even if I forgive you, even if we get back together, we'll still have that stain on our relationship. I don't know how to move on from that."

So that was it. All of Ben's hopes of being with Nysilla again had vanished. The first girl he had ever kissed was now leaving him. Summoning his courage, he said, "For what it's worth, my feelings for you were real."

She replied softly, "So were mine."

Sniffling, and choking back tears, Ben asked, "What are you going to do now?"

Nysilla shrugged. "Go home, I guess."

"Back to Felucia? There might not be anything left. You could stay here, on Coruscant. I could set something up for you." He failed to hide the hopefulness in his voice.

"No, thanks. This is your home, and I need to go back to mine, if only to clear my head."

Ben nodded to affirm his understanding. Then, in a daring move, he hugged her. He had expected her to recoil, so he was surprised when she hesitantly returned the hug. He whispered, "I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Thanks," she replied. A second later, she pulled away and said, "Good-bye, Ben." And then, she turned on her heel and started to walk away.

Ben watched her go, hoping that she would change her mind and come running back into his arms. But, with every step she took, it became more and more clear that she was not coming back. Still, he watched her until she was no longer visible. Even though she could not hear him, he still said, "Good-bye, Nysilla."

* * *

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	25. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Darth Hatus held the Sith Orb in both hands, staring into its red eddies. He could feel it pulsing with power, as though its constant use had brought it to life. He closed his eyes and pictured her in his head, noting every detail. Then, he willed the orb to make that picture a reality. It did not resist, having grown so accustomed to him over the past year. Tendrils of red mist snaked from the orb and wrapped around each other just above the floor. Within seconds, the mist condensed into a naked human body. After a few more seconds, the body became recognizable as that of Darth Volatis.

The woman's eyes popped open and she gasped loudly. She scrambled to her feet and looked around, expecting to be on Dromund Kaas with Ben Skywalker attacking her. To her confusion, however, she was in Darth Hatus' office on Korriban. Hatus himself was standing in front of his desk, holding the Sith Orb. He was flanked by Darths Sinestro and Masculous, as well as Moff Hyke. All four men were frowning at her. Realizing that she was naked, Volatis covered herself with her arms and hands. When Sinestro removed his cape and tossed it to her, she quickly wrapped it around herself to protect what little modesty she had left. "What happened?" she asked.

"I'll tell you what happened!" snapped Hyke. He had been holding his tongue for too long and was ready to explode. "That Skywalker boy got a message to the Alliance, and they sent an entire fleet to attack Dromund Kaas! Every Sith on the planet has either been killed or captured, the base has been destroyed, and all of the slaves have been freed! And it's all thanks to _your_ incompetence!"

Everything came back to Volatis. She now remembered the duel with Ben Skywalker, the Alliance attack, and that boy torturing her to death. The pain had been excruciating, like thousands of knives flaying skin from muscle. The very memory of it made her feel nauseous. That nausea was soon replaced by anger. The son of Skywalker had ruined everything! She asked, "What about the boy? What happened to him?" Hopefully, the Sith had given him a painful and gruesome death before the Jedi arrived.

No such luck, apparently. "Back on Coruscant with his family, and no doubt telling the entire galaxy all about us!" Hyke pointed an accusing finger at her. "Our entire operation was predicated on secrecy, which, thanks to you, is now gone!"

Volatis seethed. "None of this is my fault! The Skywalker boy was on Dromund Kaas _before_ I arrived, so you should be blaming General Dykes for that! I couldn't sense him there because he was suppressing his Force aura, which Lord Caedus taught him to do. Also, I would have caught him if I had been allowed to sacrifice slaves. _You_ were the ones who prohibited me from doing that! Finally, the Alliance wouldn't have taken the base if your Sith had been better fighters!"

Hatus put in, "They wouldn't have taken the base if you had called for reinforcements!"

"They would have arrived too late! I did everything I could, given the circumstances! I managed to draw the boy out by threatening a girl he likes, but he killed all of the Sith who faced him, which is _their_ fault, not mine! I wanted to start killing slaves to draw him out sooner, if you had allowed it. We would only have lost a few slaves, instead of a thousand! So, ask yourselves; who's _really_ to blame for all of this?"

"You!" exclaimed Hyke. He then looked at the other Sith and added, " _All_ of you!"

Masculous emitted a low growl. "What are you talking about?"

"Those were _your_ droids that attacked the Jedi Temple! If they had succeeded, the Jedi never would have gotten the boy's message! Their failure is on you!" Then, Hyke glared directly at Hatus as he continued, "And you're little experiment, I heard he offered to help Luke Skywalker destroy us to fulfill his own goals! You created a traitor to the Sith!"

Volatis asked, "Wait, what attack?"

Ignoring her, Hatus replied, "It seems I gave him too much free will. That is a mistake I will be sure to rectify next time."

"What is going on?" demanded Volatis.

" _Next time_?" repeated Hyke, incredulously. "After everything that's happened, you're going to create _more_ of those… abominations?"

Hatus walked threateningly towards the Moff. He growled, "How dare you speak to me like that! _I_ created _all_ of this! If it weren't for me, you would still be stuck serving the Imperial Remnant! I will do whatever it takes to secure our victory! So, yes, I will resurrect Palpatine, and every Sith who ever lived, because I have the power to do so! I have the power to vaporize your brain with a single thought, so you _will_ respect me! IS THAT CLEAR?!"

Hyke's face turned pale as Hatus' turned red. A moment later, he responded quietly, "Yes, my lord."

"Good. Now get out." He turned to Volatis and added, "Both of you."

Hyke spun around and hurried out the door. Volatis, still wrapped in Sinestro's cape, followed shortly after. The Moff marched straight to his quarters, where he noticed that his personal holotransmitter was beeping. He looked at the console and scowled when he saw who was calling him. He was not in the mood to talk to this person, but, he decided to get it over with. He pressed the answer button and a life-sized hologram was projected in front of him.

It was Mek Dain, and he did not look happy. "Where have you been? I've been trying to call you for hours!"

Hyke replied, "I was in a meeting."

"Of course you were," Mek mumbled. "Well, Lord Hatus has been blocking my calls. I demand to speak with him at once!"

"He doesn't want to speak with anyone, it seems."

"Then perhaps _you_ can explain to me what the hell happened!" The Gran held his thumb and forefinger less than a centimeter apart as he said, "I was _this_ close to destroying the Jedi! I had finally convinced my father to authorize an attack on the Jedi Temple, and I had a nuclear missile ready to destroy it on my command! But _you_ sent in those droids and ruined my plan!"

"I had nothing to do with that!" Hyke yelled defensively. "It was Hatus' idea to send the droids."

"And I suppose it was also his idea to send that Palpatine clone, or whatever it was? The moment my father saw it, he realized that the Sith had returned. Now, he believes everything the Jedi are telling him! I spent years trying to turn him against them, and now I have nothing to show for it! Why did you even attack the temple, anyway? I thought you were trying to keep your existence secret."

"We were, but then we learned that the Skywalker boy had infiltrated our base on Dromund Kaas. Hatus decided, just in case the boy sent out a message, to attack the Jedi before they could receive that message. He did not know that you were already planning your own attack. If you had contacted us about your plan, this whole situation could have been avoided!

Mek seethed. "Or, maybe _you_ should have contacted _me_ about _your_ plan! Then the Jedi would be destroyed, and by the time my father learned about the Sith, it would be too late for the Alliance to stop them!"

"Well, it looks like we'll have to wait a little longer for that. We _will_ defeat the Jedi, then we'll defeat the Alliance, and then we'll take over the galaxy, and Hatus will give you the status and power you crave so much."

"And what am I supposed to do until then? My father will never listen to me again, so you can bet your last credit that I will be stuck on the Coruscant Defense Force for a long time! And that's assuming my superiors don't find out that I was the one who gave you the military clearance codes – which, by the way, won't work anymore, thanks to your attack!"

Hyke shrugged. "If you're really as smart as you claim to be, I'm sure you'll figure something out. I will contact you when we've determined our next move. Until then, stay under the radar, and don't let anyone figure out where your true loyalties lie."

Mek frowned and shook his head. "My loyalties are with neither the Sith, nor the Alliance. And they are certainly not with my father. I'm only helping the Sith because they promised to give me what I want, what my father has denied me all my life. My true loyalties lie with me, and me alone."

* * *

Now that the remaining three Sith were alone in Hatus' office, Sinestro asked his master, "This is a serious setback, my lord. How do you intend to recover from it?"

Hatus bowed his head thoughtfully and began to pace. After a moment, he answered, "I don't think we can. Like Moff Hyke said, our plan relied on secrecy. Without that, we've lost the element of surprise."

Masculous suggested, "We could go back into hiding for a couple more years while we build up our forces. When we finally reveal ourselves, the Alliance wouldn't be prepared for us."

"Oh, they'll be prepared," said Sinestro. "Master Skywalker will not rest until we have been defeated. He searched for us for a year based on the knowledge of just the four of us. Imagine how hard he will search knowing we have an entire army."

"You're right," agreed Hatus. "Hiding is no longer an option for us. It's time to take the fight directly to the Jedi. We'll begin our war campaign with the forces we already have. The rest of the army will join them when it's ready. In the meantime, I'm sending both of you to our other bases to conduct thorough investigations of each. Learn from your sister's mistakes, and eliminate any undercover Jedi or troublesome slaves. Once you're satisfied that each base is secure, double its security. If the Jedi discover where the rest of our facilities are, we need to be ready for them."

The two apprentices bowed to affirm their understanding. They were about to leave when the office door chimed, indicating a visitor. Hatus used the Force to open the doors, allowing a Sith laborer to enter. The worker approached the Sith Master, carrying a long, flat box. He knelt in front of Hatus and held out the box with both hands. "My lord, it is finished."

Hatus must have already known what was in the box, for he smiled excitedly as he tore off the top and removed the item within. It was a lightsaber, but unlike any Sinestro had ever seen. The half-a-meter-long hilt had a golden finish with thin black rubber bands every five centimeters to serve as grips. At either end, the hilt forked off into two angled cylinders which curved towards each other until they were parallel with a little over five centimeters of space between them. Each of those four cylinders then extended for another ten centimeters.

The Sith worker continued, "It was crafted to your exact specifications, as ordered. The energy crystals you created work, however, they had an… unexpected result."

Hatus pressed the ignition plate at one end of the hilt, and two energy blades sprang from the parallel emitters at that end. The red blades matched those used by the other Sith, except for one key difference; instead of having white cores, these blades had black cores. Hatus pressed the plate at the other end, and two identical blades appeared. His mouth hung open with the corners elevated, forming an excited smile. He caressed the hilt of the double-sided lightsaber and gazed into the red-and-black blades. "It's beautiful," he breathed.

Sinestro nodded half-heartedly. "It's… unusual." He failed to hide the disdain in his voice.

Hatus frowned. "You don't like it?"

The Sith apprentice chose his words carefully. "It's just that… I fail to see the benefit of having two blades side-by-side when one would be just as effective. Also, the blades look, well, different."

"It's probably because I created the crystals using the Sith Orb," Hatus mused. "Trust me. There is more to this weapon than meets the eye. Once I've mastered it, no one will be laughing for long." He deactivated the lightsaber and nodded to the laborer. "You've done well."

The Sith bowed deeply with pride. "Thank you, Lord Hatus."

"You may leave. All of you." At Hatus' urging, everyone left the room, leaving him alone with his new weapon. He tossed it from one hand to the other, testing its weight. Then, he ignited one set of blades and performed a few practice swings. As he became more and more comfortable with the lightsaber, he ignited the other set of blades and began to twirl it around, fighting an invisible foe.

But, his legs had not yet reached their full strength, and he tripped and fell. As he did so, he tried to catch himself by planting his left hand on top of his desk, but he missed, and the corner of the desk dug into his palm. After he had recovered from the fall, he realized that his hand was bleeding. Cursing silently to himself, he opened his desk drawers and began searching for something to stop the bleeding.

That is when he heard it. A low, deep humming sound, emanating from the Sith Orb, which was sitting on his desk. He had never heard it make a sound like that before. As he reached for it with his bleeding hand, the humming grew louder. Even though his instincts warned against it, Hatus felt oddly drawn to touch the orb. It was as though the orb itself was asking him to. He gently placed his hand, bloody palm down, on top of the orb.

The instant his blood came in contact with the orb, it was like everything exploded. Hatus' office and everything in it suddenly turned various shades of red. Everything was silent, except for the humming, which now seemed to be coming from every direction at once. Warmth flooded through Hatus' body as the orb's power flowed through his bloodstream, was pumped through his heart, and then carried all the way to his extremities and back.

Within seconds, the room disappeared, and the objects transformed into various indiscernible shapes that divided, floated, and recombined like a sea of fuzzy-edged bubbles, each representing one of a thousand shades of red and orange. As Hatus looked around, there was a noticeable lag in his blurry vision. The pitch of the humming began to vary, forming a random yet comforting tune to the loud _thump-thump_ of his rapid heartbeat. There was no floor, ceiling, or walls in sight. He was suspended in an infinite sea of red and orange bubbles, with the weight of the water pressing on him from all sides – not like he was being crushed, but more like he was being hugged.

No matter how hard he tried – or could have, if he wanted to – Hatus could not find a single memory or emotion stored in his brain. All he could think about was what he was seeing, hearing, and feeling at that precise instant. Everything was so beautiful, so peaceful. He had never felt so happy in his entire life. He relaxed every voluntary muscle in his body, letting his limbs float in the psychedelic sea, listening to the calm humming, watching the colorful bubbles, reveling in his newfound happiness. He had no concept of time here, although it felt like he had been there for an eternity.

When the high finally ended, Hatus awoke on the floor of his office. He tried to wrap his mind around what had just happened, but it took several minutes for the different parts of his brain to catch up to each other. With the grogginess gone, he could remember who he was, where he was, and why he was there. It did not take him long to realize that the Sith Orb was responsible for his high. He had heard stories of ancient Sith Lords infusing their orbs' power directly into their bloodstream; perhaps that was what had just happened.

Hatus stood up and quickly collapsed to the floor. The light in his office burned into his retinas, and its electrical buzzing was threatening to blow up his eardrums. He reached out with the Force to turn it off, but he could not concentrate. He had to leave the room. Noticing how tired he was, he decided to go to his bedroom. But he could not stand up, no matter how hard he tried, so he had to crawl. When he reached the door to his room, he reached up to the control console to open it. It caused every muscle in his body to ache, but he had no choice. When he finally hit the button to open the door (which was much louder than he had anticipated), he crawled into the dark room. He then had to reach up for the button to _close_ the door, much to his chagrin.

With a great deal of difficulty, Hatus pulled himself up into his bed and crawled under the covers, not even bothering to take off his clothes. As he lay there, trying to sleep, he wondered why he felt so terrible. Perhaps he was experiencing aftereffects from the Sith Orb. Was he going to have to suffer the same effects every time he tried to infuse the orb's power? If so, perhaps it was not worth it. He decided there and then that he was never going to try that again.

But, by the following evening, he was going to crave the high again, and he would figure that the aftereffects would not be as severe the second time around. So, before he went to bed that night, he would cut his palm with a dinner knife and place it on the orb again. The next morning, when he awoke in his dark bedroom, the aftereffects would be much less painful. So, he would do it again that night. Just like that, Hatus had become addicted to something far more dangerous than the strongest drug; raw, dark power.

* * *

If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages.


	26. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

It was late afternoon on Coruscant, and the Jedi Council was gathered for the second time that week. Luke Skywalker wished that he could skip this meeting to be with his son. That was not possible, unfortunately, given that he was the Grand Master. With everything that had happened recently regarding Dromund Kaas, the Masters had not yet had a chance to discuss other things. Besides, he had important business to discuss with the other Masters.

The meeting began with Luke explaining what had happened in his meeting with Don Dain, in which he had blackmailed the chancellor into ending his anti-Jedi activities. Several of the Masters were wary of this action, fearing that Dain would somehow find a way to retaliate. Luke reassured them of the chancellor's cooperation after he described their conversation following the attack on the temple.

On that subject, the Masters discussed the battle with the Sith droids and the resurrected Emperor Palpatine. The latter concerned everyone deeply. Based on Luke and Ahsoka Tano's testimonies, it was clear that this had not been an imposter, an illusion, or any other trick. Somehow, Demood Elppirc, or "Darth Hatus," had found a way to restore the lives, bodies, and even memories of those who were dead. This, of course, led to speculation that he would bring back more villains to join his cause, or even re-resurrect Palpatine.

"How are we expected to defend not only ourselves, but the entire galaxy against such power?" asked Cilghal.

Kyle Katarn surmised, "No one is all-powerful. Surely, the orb must have its limits. If we can learn what they are, perhaps we'll stand a better chance."

Ahsoka shook her head sorrowfully. "Unfortunately, what little information we had about the Sith Orb was lost when the Empire attacked the temple."

"Then we'll look for new information," said Corran Horn. "We'll scour the galaxy for ancient Sith texts until we find the answer."

Saba Sebatyne hissed, "We have no time for that! There is a hunt to be had! We may have won at Dromund Kaaz, but the Sith are hiding somewhere, preparing to pounce. Now is the time to attack while they are licking their woundz."

Leia Organa Solo pointed out, "Ben said that the Sith have other bases where they use slaves. We need to find them quickly."

"I agree with Master Organa-Solo," said Kenth Hamner. "Our first priority should be rescuing the people who have been enslaved. Furthermore, we must also prevent the Sith from taking more slaves."

Kyp Durron scoffed. "How do you plan on pulling that off? Just hang a ship over every single planet and wait for the Sith to show up?"

Kenth frowned at Kyp. "Ideally not. Do you have a better idea, Master Durron?"

"As a matter of fact, I'd like to point out that the Sith have armor, weapons, starfighters, bases, battlecruisers. All of that is coming from somewhere. We know that the three assassins were working with Lumiya and Caedus long before Elppirc came along. Who knows who else has been helping them? We need to find out where their resources are coming from so we can cut them off."

"Master Durron is right," said the normally quiet Octa Ramis. "If we investigate deeply enough, there should be a trail that will lead to whomever is funding the Sith. They can't fight a war if we've cut off their resources."

Saba hissed in disbelief. "Did no one just hear this one say there is no time for research or investigationz?"

"Would you rather charge blindly into a battle we cannot win?" asked Corran.

Luke put in, "You all make excellent points. We will discuss how best to balance all of your strategies. In the meantime, I would like to bring up an item that we can resolve right now." Everyone looked at Luke curiously. He said, "I would like for the council to promote my son, Ben, to the rank of Jedi Knight."

A wave of surprise radiated throughout the room. No one had been expecting Luke to make such a request. The Masters all glanced at each other, gauging their reactions based on the expressions on their faces. After a moment, Kenth turned to Luke and asked, "With all due respect, Master, are you sure that is wise?"

Luke shrugged. "Why not? He's certainly proven his abilities as a Jedi. The council has discussed this before."

Cilghal rocked back and forth, a motion that was the Mon Calamari equivalent to nodding one's head. "Yes, and we decided that he was not emotionally mature enough. I do believe it was Master Tano who sensed that his great trial was yet to come."

"I know, and I believe that Dromund Kaas was that trial. He survived in slavery for two months, he singlehandedly fought and defeated several Sith, and, on top of that, he found a way to get a message to us. If it weren't for Ben, we may never have learned where the Sith were, or even rescued the people who were enslaved there." Several of the Masters nodded in agreement.

Kyp said, "I agree with Master Skywalker. Ben deserves to be a Jedi Knight. Besides, we owe him for abandoning him on that planet."

"No one abandoned anyone," stressed Kyle. "There was no way we could have known that Ben was alive. Still, I think he's earned a promotion, based solely on his heroism."

"This one agreez!" exclaimed Saba.

"I am not arguing that he does not deserve it," said Kenth, "but I do not think we should overlook his psychological state. He has refused to give us a report about his experiences in the Sith base."

Leia argued, "Ben just went through a huge trauma. We can't expect him to come out of it without emotional scars. He'll give his report when he's ready."

"What if he never is ready? What if he decides to carry those scars with him for the rest of his life? It could affect his performance as a Jedi. You saw the way he reacted when that Star Destroyer started to land. What if that happens in the middle of a battle? That kind of hesitation could cost him his life. Or the lives of others." This was met by murmurs of agreement. Even Luke had to concede, it was a fair point.

Cilghal cleared her throat and spoke hesitantly. "I feel I must also point out that… Jacen Solo was imprisoned by the Yuuzhan Vong for an extended period of time. I recommended that he seek psychological help, but he declined. We cannot allow Ben to make the same mistake."

Luke wanted to argue with Cilghal. He wanted to say that his son would not turn to the dark side. But, he was not so sure of that. He had made that mistake with his nephew, and it had led to disastrous results. "I'll admit, Ben needs help. And I'll make sure he gets it. But that should not prevent him from doing his duty as a Jedi. He has a good, strong heart, and I know he will make a great Jedi Knight. Whatever he experienced on Dromund Kaas, I believe that any person in this room would be similarly affected. But we would give each other the benefit of a doubt, so why not Ben?"

The other Masters were silent for a moment while they considered Luke's words. Finally, Kenth asked, "Are you sure you're willing to take that risk with your own son?"

Luke responded, "Every Jedi we train is a risk. Very rarely does that risk fail. I believe in my son, and I'm asking all of you to believe in him, too." He looked around the room, studying the Force auras of each Jedi present. Some of them were resolute in their support. Others had misgivings, but they would go along with whatever decision was made. The only person whom Luke could not read was Ahsoka. She seemed to be on the fence, giving no indication of which side she would take. If she denied Luke's request, other Masters would side with her, and the motion would fail. He prompted, "Master Tano? What do you think?"

Everyone looked at Ahsoka expectantly, awaiting her decision. It was not an easy one. Her own master, Anakin Skywalker, had exhibited multiple warning signs, yet the Jedi Council had ignored them, against their better judgment. In the end, he turned to the dark side, betrayed and murdered his fellow Jedi, and became Darth Vader. Ahsoka could not bear to see the same thing happen to his grandson.

On the other hand, perhaps the Jedi would be able to help Ben. Maybe they had learned from their mistakes with Jacen. But they had to act quickly and diligently. And, with the Sith threat looming, that would be extra difficult. Ultimately, her decision came down to whether or not she believed Ben would become one of the greatest Jedi ever to exist. After a very long moment, she finally opened her mouth and spoke a single word – one that would determine Ben Skywalker's fate.

* * *

Upon returning to the Jedi Temple, Ben went straight to the quarters he and Luke shared. To his surprise, everything had been left exactly as it was. He supposed his dad had never gotten around to cleaning out his things – or else had never been ready to let him go. Ben lay down on his old bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about Nysilla. He now understood why she was so reluctant to reconcile with him, although he wished that she had at least given him a chance to earn her trust back. Perhaps if she had even tried, she could have found it in her heart to forgive him.

It did not matter now. Nysilla was gone. All Ben had left of her were his memories of the time they had spent together.

His thoughts were interrupted by the chiming of his new comlink. Without even sitting up, he reached for his bedside table, grabbed the device, and held it up to his mouth. After pressing the answer button, he asked, "Yes?"

Luke's voice came from the comlink. "Ben, could you come to the council chamber, please?"

Ben sighed, "I told you, I'm not ready to talk yet."

"That's not what this is about. Just come, please."

"Fine, I'm on my way." He switched off the comlink and got out of bed. As much as he did not want to talk about Dromund Kaas, he was even less willing to get into an argument with his dad. As he walked to the Jedi Council Chamber, he took the hallways that were least used. He wanted to avoid being stopped by Jedi who wanted to welcome him back or strike up conversation. He succeeded, for the most part, but he still passed a few people who could not keep their eyes off of him.

When Ben arrived at the council chamber, he was surprised by what he saw. The window shades had been pulled, but the room was brighter than ever. All of the Jedi Masters were standing in front of their seats, holding their ignited lightsabers vertically in front of them. Luke, standing directly across from the door, smiled at his son and beckoned him forward.

Ben was stunned speechless. He had heard some of his fellow Jedi describe their knighting ceremonies, and they had all started the same way. Was this _his_ knighting ceremony? Was he about to become a Jedi Knight? Had the day he had dreamt of for years finally arrived? As he walked across the room, he tried his best to appear calm, even though his mind was racing with excitement. Despite his best efforts, he succumbed to his emotions and let a smile spread across his face. Luke's own smile grew in response.

Once he was right in front of Luke, Ben knelt and bowed his head. The Grand Master lowered his lightsaber to hover just above the now-former Padawan's right shoulder. "By the right of the Council," – he transferred his saber to the other shoulder – "by the will of the Force," – he returned his saber to the vertical position – "I dub thee, Ben Skywalker, Jedi Knight."

Ben stood up, feeling taller than ever. _Ben Skywalker, Jedi Knight_. Those words rang in his head over and over, like a slow-ringing bell. With his lightsaber still ignited, Luke bowed to his son, and the other Masters followed suit. In the darkened room, their glowing, multi-colored lightsaber blades pointed to the new Jedi Knight.

* * *

That evening, the Skywalker-Solo clan gathered at the Solos' apartment for a celebratory dinner. While Leia and Allana cooked (with C-3PO constantly asking how he might serve them), Luke, Ben, Han, Jaina, and R2-D2 sat in the living room, watching the holonews, much like they had only a few long days ago.

The newscaster began, "It has been an eventful week for the galaxy. First, a group of senators declare war against the Imperial Remnant. Then, Chancellor Dain threatens to bar the Jedi Order from the Alliance. _Then_ , the military comes to the Jedi's aid during a mysterious attack on their temple. Now, questions are circulating about the recent allegations that the Sith have returned. While information is difficult to come by, Chancellor Dain gave a speech today to address the galaxy's concerns."

The holodisplay showed footage from Don Dain's speech. "After consulting the finest geneticists in the galaxy, we have determined that the creatures on Dromund Kaas were, in fact, ancient Sith."

The newscaster continued, "While the chancellor did not give any details about where these Sith came from, he did say that they are responsible for the Outer Rim disappearances and the recent incident on Zygerria. Senator Zom Shorell of Zygerria released this statement in response:"

The newscaster's hologram was replaced by that of the same feline alien senator who had been on the news just days prior. He said, "I have reviewed the results of the investigation into the attack on my homeworld. It appears that the Sith were indeed responsible, and not the Imperial Remnant, as the preliminary findings indicated. Several Zygerrians were among the people rescued from Dromund Kaas, as were beings from multiple other Outer Rim worlds. I have conferred with my fellow senators, and, in light of this new information, we have agreed to withdraw our previous allegations against the Imperial Remnant."

Luke turned to Jaina and said, "That should make Jag happy." She merely nodded her head in reply. Luke surmised that she was still upset with him for confronting her about her affair in front of the entire Jedi Council. He added softly, "I'm very sorry about what I said the other day. I should never have put you on the spot like that."

Jaina turned to him and responded, "But you were right. I nearly caused a diplomatic incident by asking for Jag's help. We were lucky that everything worked out this time. Which is why I broke up with him." There was no mistaking the sadness in her voice.

Luke felt a pang of guilt upon hearing this news. "I'm sorry, Jaina. I didn't want that to happen. How did he take it?"

"He wasn't happy about it, but he understood. We'll need his help in fighting the Sith, and it will be a lot less messy if we aren't in a relationship."

Han interrupted, "Hey, this is all well and good, but can we discuss this later? I'm trying to watch this."

Everyone returned their attention to the news. The newscaster was saying, "In his speech, the chancellor also decreed that anyone who is found to be in collusion with the Sith will be marked as traitors to the Alliance, and will be prosecuted accordingly. In addition, he issued a warning to the galaxy:"

The holodisplay once again shifted to Dain's speech, in which he said, "I now ask that you, citizens of the galaxy, to be ever vigilant. The Sith may approach you looking for support. If that happens, do not accept whatever deal they offer you. Many of those who have aided the Sith in the past later found themselves enslaved by them. Also, if you notice anything that may be connected to the Sith, be sure to contact your local law enforcement immediately."

The newscaster continued, "Finally, in response to his previous stance on the Jedi Order, the chancellor said this:"

"With this new threat having emerged, the Jedi and I have come to an understanding. We have been so focused on our previous disagreements, that no one noticed a threat that was right under our noses. Now, we must put our differences aside and work together to defeat the Sith. It is not solely up to one or the other to protect the galaxy; it is up to _everyone_. But, rest assured, we _will_ defeat the Sith, once and for all, and we _will_ bring peace to the galaxy."

Han groaned, "Seriously? He's not even going to admit that we were right?"

"That's just how politics works," sighed Luke. "The important thing is, now, we're all working together. We know that the Sith are out there, and we can fight them with a real army."

"Yeah, but will that be enough?" asked Ben. "Not once did Dain mention how powerful the Sith are. How are we supposed to fight them if no one knows what they can do?"

" _We_ know what they can do, and that's good enough," explained Luke. "We need the people to believe that we have a plan to win. If they knew about the Sith Orb, they would lose faith, not only in us, but in the Alliance itself."

Ben was not entirely convinced, which was understandable, given his circumstances. Jaina pointed out, "Not many leaders would have even _told_ them about the Sith. We should be grateful for that, at least."

Leia came into the room from the kitchen and said, "Dinner's ready." As everyone stood up and began to walk to the dining room, she pointed to the holodisplay and said, "Turn that off. We're not here to talk about politics." Han did as his wife commanded and switched off the holoprojector.

As the family members sat around the dinner table, Ben asked, "What exactly are we celebrating?"

Everyone looked at him incredulously, as though he had just asked a stupid question. Han prodded, "Your homecoming, your promotion, our beating the Sith droids, the victory on Dromund Kaas, Dain finally off our case. Take your pick."

Soon, everyone was seated at the table. Well, _almost_ everyone. "Where's Allana?" asked Ben.

Leia smiled and answered, "She volunteered to bring everyone's food to the table."

Ben raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "By herself? Isn't that going to take a long time?"

Before anyone could answer, six plates, each one loaded with food, slowly floated out of the kitchen and gently landed on the table. Then, six glasses of blue milk followed. Allana bounced out of the kitchen grinning from ear to ear. Ben's eyes widened in surprise. " _You_ did that?"

The young girl sat down at the last remaining place and nodded her head. "I've been practicing. Master Tano says I'm a fast learner."

Ahsoka was usually the Master who worked with the Jedi Order's younglings before they were assigned to their own teachers. Ben surmised, "I guess that means you've started your Jedi training."

"Yep! And one day, I'm going to be a Jedi Knight, just like you!"

 _Ben Skywalker, Jedi Knight_. Ben still was not used to hearing that. He wondered if he ever would be. He was not even sure he deserved that title, after what he did to Darth Volatis. But, it made him feel better to know that the Jedi Council believed in him. He did not say any of this aloud. Instead, he thanked his cousin for her kind words.

"All right," said Leia, "let's eat!" With her permission, everyone immediately dug into their plates. Everyone commented on how good the food was. Leia added, "When you're all finished, Allana made cocoa cake with jogan fruit icing!"

Han paused mid-bite and asked, "Isn't that the same cake you made for your birthday? Don't you know how to make anything else?"

"Grandpa!"

"I'm just kidding, sweetheart! I could eat that every night!" This elicited laughter from everyone at the table.

To Ben, it was the best meal he had ever had. He was eating delicious food in a warm home with a loving family. Everything was exactly the way it should always be.

* * *

That's the end of Part 2! Soon, I will begin work on Part 3! For more information, check out the latest update on my profile page! If you have any comments or questions, please leave them in your reviews or private messages!


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